Adulthood
by MarvelHero1610
Summary: Five years have passed since the tragedy that befell the Uchiha family in Brotherhood, shattering them and driving a divide between them. With old enemies resurfacing and the world moving closer to war, bonds will be tested and some may be broken.
1. Butterfly I

**A/N: And so it begins, the end of an arc that I can hopefully actually finish. As I say often, it has been a very long road and I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with the series as its gone on. I plan to also drop _Neighborhood_** **chapters as I deem fit, although I don't want to make it seem like homework. Just extra credit for those who are genuinely interested. With all that said, I hope you're ready. Because welcome to _Adulthood._**

* * *

 **CHAPTER I**

KICHIRO

The beating rays of the sun touched the earth and cool breeze rustled the blossoming petals of the sakura tree, disturbing a marbled fritillary outside of Kichiro's window. The young Uchiha rolled on his back and rubbed his forehead. He exhaled softly then heard his stomach growl. Pushing himself out of the bed to his feet, Kichiro stretched until he heard his back pop and crack then looked at himself in the mirror.

The image that reflected back looked eerily similar to his father, albeit softer and more sad than outright angry. He had let his hair grow and now his bangs framed his face and stopped above his eyes. The body that had once been spotted by baby fat was now hardened from five years of rigorous training.

Kichiro flexed and put on a t-shirt before stepping out into the hallway, his feet guiding him to the kitchen. He squatted down and let the blast of cold hit his face before he rustled through the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs. When he set it down on the counter, he felt a presence behind and turned his head.

"So, you're finally out of your room." A woman with messy black hair stood in the threshold of the kitchen with her arms folded.

"I was hungry," Kichiro replied, cracking an egg into the pan.

"Fairly obvious." Kichiro smirked.

"Don't you have a mission to go on, Mirai?" His former sensei walked forward and stood next to him, leaning against the fridge.

"How dare you try to kick me out of my own house," she laughed, rubbing Kichiro's head roughly. "My mission is to make sure you don't eat all of my food."

"I won't."

Mirai scoffed. "I've learned better than to trust a teenage boy not to eat." She left his side and Kichiro flicked his wrist to scramble the eggs. He heard Mirai re-enter the kitchen with a sigh, which was normally an indication that something was coming that he didn't want to hear. "Do you want to...talk about last night?"

Kichiro blinked. His heart fluttered in his chest and he felt a small panic constrict him. He quickly shook his head. "No. Not today."

Mirai placed her hand on his back and when Kichiro looked at her, she nodded her head. "Okay. You can stay for as long as you need to and remember I'm here for you all right?"

Her kind words funneled into his ear and Kichiro kept himself from crying. With a relieved nod that served as silent thanks to Mirai, he continued fixing his food. When he was finished, he placed the scrambled eggs on a plate and sprinkled salt on them. He skillfully picked it the eggs apart with chopsticks and raised them to his lips. As he chewed, Kichiro smiled a bit. It had been over seven years ago when he had learned how to cook eggs.

Takuma had taught him when they both had been much younger. Their parents had gone away for a few days on a mission and with his belly aching from hunger, Kichiro had begged Takuma to cook for him. I his wisdom and annoyance, his brother had done something better and taught Kichiro how to prepare food for himself with their mother's patience and their father's keen attention to detail. Takuma's face never shifted from a calm smile when he talked to him and that smiling face remained etched into Kichiro's brain, his soft and encouraging words replaying like a sweet orchestra. Kichiro's heart still ached day in and day out over the loss of his brother and not because of the fact that he had died but why he died. Kichiro understood now better than he had before the level of expectation his father placed on his children and how it could eat away at whatever fragile relationship they had.

Sosei was gone too, so Kichiro had absolutely no one within his family to fall on beside Hikari. Sosei's absence felt like a death as well since he had essentially vanished like a ghost after Takuma's funeral. Kichiro had no idea where his older brother had gone but the level of betrayal he felt when he had packed his things and left after Takuma's funeral still pierced Kichiro like his father's sword.

Kichiro grabbed his plate, washed it and put it away before heading back to Mirai's guest room. It was a guest room in name only, Kichiro having left his touch and much of his clothes and belongings in the room after so many visits to his former sensei. He started coming over with his team after missions for celebratory meals for successful trips. Recently, though, he started coming out of necessity.

A vibrating sound caused Kichiro's ears to perk up and he walked over to the nightstand by his bed. His phone was buzzing violently, indicating a call was incoming. The young Uchiha flipped it open and blinked when he saw the name on the screen.

Kataki.

Gulping, Kichiro answered with, "Hey."

"Yo, Kichiro. How are you?"

Kichiro smiled. "I'm good. What are you up to?"

"I was just about to ask you the same. I was just out and bored, figured we could get something to eat with Setsuka or something." At the mention of Setsuka's name, Kichiro's happy mood faltered a bit but he tried to maintain his happy tone.

"Sure. Well, I already ate some eggs, but I can hang out with you two," he said. He heard Kataki laugh.

"Awesome. Meet us in front of the Academy in thirty minutes."

"Yeah," Kichiro said softly. The call disconnected and the Uchiha closed his phone. He was excited to see Kataki and to a lesser extent, Setsuka. It had been a while since they were together for something recreational. It'd be just the kind of pick-up he needed.

The bathroom was his next stop and Kichiro took care to thoroughly wash himself as the steam enveloped his body, seeping into his pores. After he was sure of his cleanliness, Kichiro stepped out and dried himself with a towel, then wrapped his lower body. He jogged down the hallway back to his room. The boy pulled a dark blue, mid-collared shirt over his head and a black joggers up to his waist before strapping his sandals on. Kichiro stopped in the bathroom again, brushed his teeth and then stared into the mirror.

Looking at himself, he tried smiling but it didn't feel natural. He attempted to frown, only for the creases in his face to disturb him. He settled on his normal, pensive face and left the bathroom.

"Mirai, I'm leaving," Kichiro called before he closed the apartment door behind him and headed down the stairs out into the city. When he looked down the road, he could see the Hokage Monument, skyscrapers looming over the faces of six of the greatest shinobi that Konoha had ever produced. People passed by and Kichiro could feel their gaze and the weight of the Uchiha symbol on his back made him feel uncomfortable.

He ignored it and walked forward to the Academy. Children played at being shinobi in the yard outside of the building, calling out random ninjutsu names. He heard one child shout out, "Rasengan!" as he put his palm in his friend's stomach and the other boy threw himself back. Kichiro smirked and looked up for Kataki or Setsuka. When his initial scan of the area provided no clue to his friends' whereabouts, Kichiro leaned against a wall and sighed.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around the corner. Kichiro balled his fist, preparing himself to fight until his eyes locked on Kataki's smiling face. His heart fluttered and he felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Scared you, huh?" Kataki asked. Kichiro frowned and pushed him away.

"No, you didn't scare me, asshole." The Uchiha boy tried to gather himself, although he felt Kataki staring through him. When Kichiro looked up, Kataki smoothed back the top of his spiky undercut and folded his arms.

"You finished?" he asked before flashing a smile. Kichiro slowly nodded and Kataki chuckled. "Good, because Setsuka's coming." Kichiro peered around the corner and saw the girl walking forward, brown hair rising and falling to touch under her jaw. Hee purple eyes fell on Kichiro and she waved.

Kichiro waved back then he and Kataki rounded the corner and walked up the street to meet her. A quarter head shorter than them both, Setsuka looked up and smiled at the boys.

"Ready to eat?" she asked. Kichiro rubbed the back of his head.

"I already ate." Setsuka's face fell and Kataki shrugged.

"I called him too late. Fat ass had an entire plate of eggs before I got to him."

Kichiro rolled his eyes and Setsuka giggled. "So are we going to a restaurant or what?" he asked. Setsuka nodded.

"I reserved a spot at Ichiraku. It always get crowded this time of day," she sighed.

With the expansion of Konoha from a village to a busy city, Ichiraku shifted from a ramen bar to a full-on chain all throughout the Land of Fire with the main hub being the most popular place to eat. Kichiro had only been to a few of the Ichiraku chains outside of Konoha and found them good, but not nearly as good as the original.

His stomach growled in anticipation, causing Kataki and Setsuka to give him an amused look.

"Guess we shouldn't wait then?" Kataki said.

The three friends made their way to Ichiraku, with Setsuka and Kataki talking along the way. Kichiro listened halfheartedly, instead looking around the city streets taking in the construction of a new medical center and a new school building close by, not for shinobi but to accommodate the civilians of Konoha as the population boosted. Kichiro wondered if his mother would be running this new hospital, named in honor of her old sensei, Tsunade.

"Shit, this line is long," Kataki murmured. He was right. They hadn't managed to make it before the lunchtime rush hour and now, the line wrapped around the church, constricting it like a python would its prey.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Setsuka asked.

Kataki shrugged. "Not like we have anything else to do today. I don't mind waiting." Kichiro looked up just as Kataki turned to him. "How about you, Kichiro?"

"I'm fine if you are." The Uchiha tucked his hands in his pockets and looked around. His eyes caught the bright red hair flowing out of the restaurant. Elegant, beautiful, yet shrouded by a mysterious air of earthliness, Honami Uzumaki seemed to glide out of Ichiraku's with Takuma's old teammate Shogo Kazuma and another boy that Kichiro didn't know. The daughter of the Hokage looked like a rich painting but when her eyes and Kichiro's met, the Uchiha could recognize the same sadness that he saw in himself every time he looked in the mirror.

He imagined Takuma standing with them, in place of the unknown pretender, tall with his long hair tied into a ponytail and his bangs framing a face full of happiness and laughter looking the spitting image of their uncle if he had lived in a happier time and without the burdens of the world.

Kichiro stepped out of line and walked over towards the group of older shinobi. Honami gave her trademark friendly smile as he approached. The Uchiha nodded to the other boys before he looked at Honami.

"Hey, Kichiro," she said. "How are you?" Kichiro shrugged.

"I'm fine. You?"

"Relieved. We just got back from an escort mission earlier this morning, taking some builders and contractors to the border."

Kichiro nodded. It sounded a bit dull a mission for jonin but he didn't bother to ask any further questions about it.

"How's your family?" Kichiro felt his heart sink and Honami blinked at him.

"They're...all right," he replied. His hesitation seemed to make Honami tilt her head in curiosity. Again, there was an awkward silence between the two until Shogo broke it.

"Jeez, you're getting tall," he said. The orange haired boy was a head taller than Honami's five foot, three inch frame and Kichiro was nearly staring him in the eye.

Kichiro felt himself shift nervously under the gaze of strangers, then relief when he heard Kataki's voice.

"Yo, Kichiro! We have a table!" the boy called. Kichiro looked at Honami and she dipped her head.

"I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Kichiro said, before departing for his friends. When he got back to his team, Kataki raised his chin in the direction he had came.

"Look at you, trying to get close to the Hokage's daughter." Kataki smirked and Kichiro blushed at him, not his words.

"It wasn't like that," Kichiro replied. A waitress led them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant and after they had ordered drinks, Kataki bumped Kichiro with an elbow.

"You ok?"

Kichiro nodded. "Yeah. Just, every time I see her, I-" he paused and sighed. "I imagine Takuma with her." Setsuka's hand touched Kichiro's and the Uchiha looked up at her.

"She misses him a lot. She hasn't even brought another boy home since…"

"Maybe that guy you didn't know is a potential?" Kataki said. Kichiro shrugged. He was tired of the conversation. The more he talked about Honami, the more he missed Takuma and thinking about Takuma inexplicably made him think of Sosei.

The waiter returned and took their orders. Kichiro ordered a tsukemen dish, with spicy broth for his dipping, Kataki ordered cold hiyashi chuka and Setsuka, the kenchin stew. The team ate silently after the food came, with Kichiro glancing every now and then out of the window as he chewed his food. Kataki seemed to get bored of the silence and struck up a conversation with Setsuka which Kichiro ignored. The boy's mind wandered different places, mostly to happy memories from years prior.

At least, what he thought were happy.

He dipped his noodles into the broth again, curled his lips back when he realized that it was cold after putting it in his mouth and sighed softly. The sad thoughts that plagued his mind had to find somewhere else to go. Kichiro had to find something else to do to occupy himself. His onyx eyes traced around the restaurant, taking in the sights and observing the different patrons enjoying their food. The smiles on their faces seemed foreign to him and his own internal struggles made it difficult to understand what it was anyone could possibly be happy about. It was a selfish way to view things, nevertheless, Kichiro continued to feel so displaced and distant.

He was alone in the company of friends.

"Yo, Kichiro," Kataki said, breaking the Uchiha's trance. When he looked at him, Kataki raised an eyebrow. "Ready to go?"

Kichiro nodded. "Yeah." He turned his head and saw their waitress walking towards them and lifted his hand, signalling her to their table. Kataki paid for all of their meals, smiling when the waitress thanked him for his substantial tip. Once again, Kichiro was entranced. The three friends exited the restaurant, passing the slowly dwindling lunch rush line on their way out.

The warmth of the sun was a refreshing reminder of life for Kichiro and he bathed in its glow briefly before following Kataki and Setsuka to the park benches a little ways down the path. They sat, shaded by a tree that hung over the bench and Kichiro leaned back and felt himself relax. There was a cool silence, broken by the whistling of the wind and the rustling of the leaves. Finally, Kataki sighed.

"I'm fucking bored."

Setsuka looked at him and Kichiro saw her purple eyes blink. "Why?"

"I don't know. Just not what I expected when we became chunin, you know?" Kichiro shook his head.

"You were expecting us to be in the middle of a war?" he asked. Kataki rubbed his head.

"No, but our chunin missions aren't really anything cool or exciting. Hell, last mission, we helped an old woman move." Kichiro twisted his mouth. That was an oversimplification. The three of them had helped one of the Konoha Elders, Shizune, move sensitive items from a base outside of Konoha back into the city. Items that included neurotoxins, healing technique scrolls and ointment blueprints that could prove disastrous if they fell into enemy hands. There was furniture involved, of course, but to simply see it as helping a woman move…

Kichiro held back his words, knowing internally that his emotional state made him more sensitive than normal and the last thing he wanted to do was to alienate his only friends. He checked himself and said, "I've learned to value peace. Especially considering…"

"What we've been through," Setsuka said, locking eyes with Kichiro. The Uchiha boy blinked and looked away. He tried to push those memories to the back of his mind and instead nodded his head.

"Yeah."

Kataki seemed to consider what they said and shrugged. "I guess so. I just want to put these skills to the test. Don't want to get rusty." Kichiro scoffed.

"We can spar if you want to make sure you don't become a worse fighter than you already are," he teased. Kataki frowned and then smirked.

Before either of them could say anything, Kichiro looked up and saw Mirai approaching them. She was strangely garbed in her jonin gear and was walking with a hurried pace. Kichiro wrinkled his brow and looked at his team before shifting his eyes to Mirai. She looked a bit flustered.

"Sensei," Kichiro said when she finally reached them. Mirai waved.

"Hey, guys. The Hokage's asking for us to see him in his office. He's got an assignment." Kataki rolled his eyes.

"We helping another old lady move again?" he asked. Mirai chuckled softly and shook her head.

"No, but I'll let him explain. Come on." The three teens rose from the bench and Kataki took point, following behind Mirai while Kichiro walked beside Setsuka a few paces back. The Hokage's office wasn't too far from where they were and at their pace, the walk would be quick.

"Kichiro," Setsuka whispered. The Uchiha boy glanced in her direction and blinked. When he didn't respond, Setsuka continued. "Are you okay? You're quieter than normal."

Kichiro nodded. He hated being asked if he was okay, lying and saying he was when he wasn't, and entertaining follow-up questions. He hated it more when his friends, who knew him better than his parents did, asked him. "I'm just…"

"Don't lie to me." Setsuka's voice was barely above a whisper, quiet as it had been when they had first met in the Academy. Her purple eyes were simultaneously concerned and intense and Kichiro swallowed. He wanted to talk to someone, someone who cared about him and could understand his pain. But there was no one left like that, no one who could empathize the way he desperately needed. Telling Setsuka wouldn't help him.

"We can talk later," Kichiro said, finally settling on a lie he felt comfortable with. It was more negotiable and if he felt like talking to her, he could. If he didn't, then he wouldn't. Setsuka seemed to be fine with it as she turned away from him and they kept walking.

The team met Shikamaru, the Hokage's advisor, outside of his office and the Nara clan head nodded. "Right on time," he said, smiling. Mirai smiled back.

"Had to grab the band," she said. "Is he ready, oji-san?" Shikamaru knocked on the door and it immediately opened. The Hokage's blonde head poked out and his blue eyes blinked.

"Oh, great, you're here." He smiled and beckoned Mirai and her team forward. When they entered the office, Kichiro saw a map spread on the Hokage's desk with multiple markers on top. His eyes shifted around, observing each of the markers until he heard the Hokage's voice. "I don't want to hold you up. I need you to get out in the field as quickly as possible. Just received word of an attack on the outskirts of the country and while it may be something small, I just need a team to go provide some relief."

Shikamaru added, "We have contractors and business traveling along these roads to Kirigakure so making sure that they're secure is a top priority."

"I know it's a bit of a rush," Naruto said, "but I just need a team that can go quickly."

Mirai looked at her team and then back at the Hokage. "We're ready," she said. The Hokage nodded and smiled.

"Good, head on out." Mirai, Kataki and Setsuka turned to leave the room. Kichiro attempted to follow them but the Hokage's and waved for him to stay. Kichiro turned and saw that Kataki and Setsuka had glanced back to see where he was, but Shikamaru stepped in between and closed the door. The blonde man waited until the latch clicked before he spoke. "Kichiro...there's another reason that your team is being chosen for this mission. I just need you to promise not to say anything to them. I can trust you with that, right?"

Kichiro dipped his head. He was a shinobi after all. "What is it, Lord Hokage?"

The Hokage leaned back in his seat and looked directly into Kichiro's eyes. He sighed softly and said, "We may have found Sosei."

Kichiro stared forward and his jaw felt tight. After a brief moment of silence, he managed to ask a simple question.

"W-where?"

* * *

 _ **Next, Owl**_


	2. Owl I

**CHAPTER II**

OWL

The crowd around the cage was louder than usual, drunk off both the sake provided and anticipation for the fight ahead. The room was packed, filled to the doorway where scuffles broke out as patrons jockeyed for position, seeking a perfect view. Tobacco smoke filled the air as well, painting the otherwise wooden building in a gray haze.

In the center of the circular cage, a man garbed in black from his head to his feet turned his head to observe the crowd. There were familiar faces here, none of them particularly friendly. He had noticed the same three people seated or standing in the same spot for his last two fights. They looked young but hardened by military training. As the crowd began to scream for the man in black, calling out, "Black Owl! Black Owl!" for his distinctive black porcelain owl mask, the three watchers said nothing. They simply stared.

Owl's eyes cut to his opponent, another one of fifteen or so drunks that had come before and tried to best him in combat. This man, large and staggering, rushed toward him and swung a punch. Lazily, Owl stepped to the side, his tattered cape flapping smoke from his body. The drunk man turned on his heels and punched at Owl again.

The young man in black grabbed the drunk's arm, twisting it until it snapped before he slammed his elbow into the man's nose with an audible crunch, quieting the crowd for a single breath until they erupted into a loud cheer. Bloodied, the drunk man crawled away and Owl looked for the three watchers in the crowd. Like the past two times they had appeared, they were gone as soon as the fight was called. Owl narrowed his eyes and left the cage.

When he went through the doors, the owner of the building met him, grinning and dipping his head. "I don't know how you do it but as long as you keep winning and making me money, you can keep these fights going as long as you want."

Owl shrugged. "This is the last one." The owner's mouth opened.

"I don't understand. You're undefeated and these people keep coming and paying to see you win. Why stop? We could take this on the road. Expand!"

50,000 ryo. It would be enough to get him through the rest of the month, if he was careful. "I'm not interested," Owl replied, taking his money in hand. He left the building and the refreshing night air was a welcomed change to the smoke shack he had been in.

The quaint town, barely three buildings pieced together by a dirt road, was remote and a speck on the edge of the Land of Iron. The three buildings, a brothel and bar, a proper hotel and a general store, were the only sources of income for the people that were permanent residents. Owl had yet to visit the upper levels of the brothel, though it was not without its temptations. The bar, however…

"Ah, you're here again," the bartender said when he saw Owl pull out a stool. The young man waved his hand.

"Yeah, yeah. Give me the shochū." Owl took a shot and sighed softly as the alcohol warmed his chest. He motioned for another and when the glass was full, he took another shot. Owl heard the door to the bar open. Three distinctive heels clicked against the floor as they approached and gazing into the reflection in the glass mugs next to him, Owl saw that they were the same three young men that had been appearing in the cage.

They stopped just short of the bar counter and Owl looked at the bartender, who looked a fair bit nervous.

Owl sighed inwardly. "You don't have to stand up. There's plenty of stools." Silence. Owl motioned for the bartender to leave with his eyes and the man did so, slowly and casually walking away. When he did, the men stepped forward and Owl dipped his head.

He slid his sword halfway from its sheath in time enough to deflect an attempted kidney blow from one of the men, before grabbing the glass mug to his right, bashing it against the head of the man who stepped forward to that side. After making his move, he dashed backward in a black haze and quickly observed the room. The three men drew their weapons and rushed forward. Owl dove into their midst, the steel on his sword singing when he drew it fully from the sheath and struck one of his enemy's.

One of the three men, a blonde, performed hand seals and took a deep breath and unleashed a fireball from his mouth. Lightning sparked down the length of Owl's blade, chirping like disturbed birds lifting into the air. The steel sliced through the flame and sent it two separate ways before Owl dashed forward shoved his shoulder into the man's chest, enhancing his strength with chakra. He crashed through the wall and Owl turned on the two remaining men and looked from left to right. The three of them fought in the center of the bar, swinging blades and dodging each other's attacks. The dance was flashy, with all combatants darting around the room like flies around a carcass. Owl had assessed all of the men's abilities and knew what to do.

He waited until his two assailants approached him from both sides and held out his hands, releasing a stream of electrical chakra from around his body. The two men froze, teeth chattering as they slowly fell back to the floor. Owl glanced around the bar and then outside. He had been careful to deal non-lethal blows, for the time being. After he had sheathed his sword, Owl transported the men into the cellar underneath the floorboards, where slick talking patrons had often trapped young girls and forced them to perform for free. Owl's first entrance into town included the beating and capture of an attempted rapist and he had been rewarded with an unlimited tab ever since.

Owl sat on a wine barrel, drank from an old bottle and waited for a while for any of the men to wake up. When they didn't, Owl poured the remainder of his bottle on them and slapped the blonde man awake. Gasping, he looked up and attempted to perform a hand seal, but Owl swung his sword down, removing a few of the man's fingers. He cried out and Owl leaned forward and placed a hand on his mouth.

"If you're going to be this loud, you ought to at least be saying something of substance." He removed his hand stood up straight, looking between all three men. "You're alive now for a single purpose and you will fulfill it or you will die, painfully and slowly. I have a single question. Where is Yashagoro?" When no one answered, Owl nodded. "Fine."

The bearded spy next to the blonde man gasped when Owl's sword swung towards stomach, spilling his intestines on the floor. He held his intestines and his mouth went agape with a high-pitched scream, that slowed and deepened. Shaky eyes shifted to Owl's, turned from their natural light gray to a crimson field, with half-completed black rings and tomoe rotating.

"What...what is this?" the blonde man sputtered from his lips.

Owl didn't blink. He had named the technique Mahākāra because of his left Mangekyo's unique ability to slow time in a localized area. It was an effect torture technique though, Owl hadn't gotten around to testing it in combat.

The bearded spy continued to scream in slow motion, clutching at his wounds until Owl stopped the technique and the man fell forward, dead. Owl shifted his eyes to the remaining men and could see the scarlet glow of his Sharingan in the cellar. Crying, the long-haired man to the blonde man's side dipped his head.

"Please, don't kill us!"

"Then answer my question," Owl said in a low, cold tone.

His hair touching the dusty floor, the man continued. "Please! We have families, families that will die if we turn against him."

Owl blinked. Memories, images, and voices tugged at his emotions. A family, his family, which he hadn't seen for years, called out for him, saying a name he had tried to let go.

Sosei…

Then, he saw his youngest brother molested and his other brother committing suicide, while his father stood idly by as both happened. Owl shook and felt his anger consume him, his chakra growing colder as he squeezed his fist closed until the palm of his hand bled and dripped down the hilt of his sword. He pressed the tip of his blade to the man's throat and stared at him.

"I don't care. You'll tell me where he is and what he's planning."

The long-haired man sniffled and kept his head bowed. "I don't know wh…" Owl pushed his sword through the man's throat, letting the blood spurt onto the floor. The man gurgled and gagged on his own blood until Owl pulled the blade out, whipping it towards the blonde man, letting the blood spray onto his face.

"That leaves you," he said. The blonde man shivered and looked up into Owl's glowing red eyes.

"I-I..."

Owl rolled his eyes. He had tried to get the men to confess naturally, but now, he was growing tired and impatient. He made eye contact with the blonde man again, locking him into a trance and entering his mind with a genjutsu. He didn't care to be subtle, instead ripping through as he searched for what he wanted, cycling through image after image until he found someone resembling the man he was looking for.

Long black hair, cold blue eyes, and a pale, angular face. Yashagoro stood in front of the blonde man and spoke to him, pointing behind him to a little girl. Owl heard a few words he said.

Cleanse.

Machine.

Tree.

Owl backed away and sighed softly as the blonde man slumped to ground, drooling from his mouth. He suspected that his brain was fried, ripped apart by Owl's intrusion. The revelation that the man was actually a father with a family did pull at his heart strings but he shook the feelings from his mind. This was the price of his mission and at his core, he knew that the ends justified the means. A few deaths didn't compare to the potential destruction of the world if Yashagoro had his way. That's what Owl had been telling himself every time he stared at the dead fathers, mothers, sons and daughters that laid in his wake.

He transported the bodies to the back of the brothel and incinerated them with Amaterasu as he had done in the past. The black flames swirled around, consuming the corpses until Owl's bleeding eye erased them.

He closed his right eye and turned away from the ashes. He went to his room and packed his bags with his clothes, money and the remainder of his food rations for the week, leaving money for the damages he caused behind the counter. With that last gift, Owl left the small town, the moon reflecting on his back as he walked away.

It was a little while before he stopped to rest against a tree, leaning against his bag of clothes as he tried to sleep. But the peaceful release he sought never came, clouded by images of fire, blood and chaos. Owl saw his old home destroyed, his mother killed, his family torn asunder while Yashin and Yashagoro watched.

He gasped awake and panted as he looked around, gulping and sweating heavily. The sun slowly crept over the horizon, shining directly into Owl's eyes. He heard some shuffling in the trees above him and looked up towards the noise. A large dappled brown eagle owl turned its head 180 degrees to stare down at him before blinking and taking off with a silent flap of its enormous wings.

Owl rubbed his head, took a drink from his water flask, then rose to his feet. He had very little indication where Yashagoro was now and with three of his agents dead, Owl knew that his target was getting closer to finding him than he liked. The last thing he wanted was to be ambushed and taken by surprise by multiple Kage-level shinobi. He had only one lead and that was the three words he had pulled from the agent's mind.

The only thing he could feasibly put together was the reference word of tree. In his mind, he recalled stories of the God Tree, an ancient construct that had been a part of the Eye of The Moon Plan, which two entities had two separate outcomes for. Owl had always assumed the tree had been destroyed but if Yashagoro planned to use it, then it had to still be active somehow. "Cleanse" and "machine" were vague enough words that Owl put them on the backburner of his mind. If he wanted to see where the God Tree had been, he'd have to go to the Land of Lightning and head to the site of the war that had supposedly ended all the wars to come.

Sighing softly, he picked himself up from off the road and stretched. A wagon squeaked toward him, hitting every bump on the dirt road before slowing to a stop as it drew closer to Owl. Narrowing his eyes, the young man's hand instinctively went to his sword's hilt, expecting an angry patron from the bar or some other drunk fool expecting a fight on the road.

A young woman stepped out of her wagon, a white kimono top with pink flowers etched into it's design covering her body. Owl loosened his grip on his sword's hilt and stared forward. The woman's blue hair was lifted in a messy bun, leaving her oval face completely exposed. Even if it had been hidden, there was no way Owl could have forgotten her.

Aori… he thought.

As if hearing his thoughts, Aori blinked at him and smiled before walking closer toward him. Owl realized quickly how much time had passed, he was almost towering over Aori now and she noticed too. She looked up at him and stared for a while.

"Sosei…" she said softly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again. It's been so long."

The young man blinked, caught between who he had been and the person that Aori was talking to. He shook his head and ignored the tightness in his chest.

"What are you doing so far from Konoha?"

The blue-haired woman smiled lightly. "My father is a contractor and the Land of Water is still in the midst of rebuilding Kirigakure to modern sensibilities. I'm transporting a few examples of technology and meeting with the Water Daimyo and the new Mizukage to discuss the work he believes needs to be done."

"So, you're the head of that region's operations, then?" Owl asked.

"Merely a representative. I'm a good negotiator, is all."

Owl nodded. "Well, I guess you'd better be heading off." Aori blinked and slowly began to nod before she stopped and smiled again.

"Actually...well, this is a bit embarrassing to ask, but I know the roads ahead aren't particularly protected or safe. A lot of caravans and travellers have gone missing in recent weeks. I don't want to be presumptuous but...could you travel with me?" When owl made a face, Aori continued. "Just to Kiri. I'm sure I can hire some escorts back."

Owl weighed the options in his mind. He had more pressing business, trying to find if the roots of the God Tree remained where the monstrous blossom had once stood as well as stopping Yashagoro's plan. He had very little reason to go out of his way to Kirigakure and then backtrack around to the mountains. It'd takes weeks and in that time, Yashagoro could launch his plan. Besides, with his agents on Owl's tail and closing in on him, he couldn't risk putting Aori in danger.

But she'd be in more danger if one of Yashagoro's spies caught her alone after witnessing them interacting or if they had any knowledge of their past interactions. Then, Owl paused and remembered one of the words that he had heard in the spy's head.

Machine. He glanced at the back of Aori's carriage and narrowed his eyes. What if this was it?

Nodding, Owl folded his arms. "It's a bit out of the way of my original destination, but I'll escort you," he said. Aori's face brightened with a bright smile and she hugged him. The sudden touch sent a pleasant chill down Owl's spine and he had to hold himself together. When Aori pulled away, she walked towards her carriage.

"It won't be a free escort, of course. I'll make sure you're well-paid." She opened the curtain and sat in the corner, before waving for Owl to come forward. Glancing from side to side, the young vagabond stepped into the carriage and sat next to Aori. With a ring of the bell, Aori's carriage rolled ahead and Owl leaned back against the headrest.

He could feel Aori's eyes on him and turned to meet her gaze. "You all right?" he asked. Aori chuckled softly.

"Yes," she replied. "It's just that it's been so long and you look pretty different now." She reached and touched his hair, now long, unkempt and past his shoulders. Aori's hand retreated and she sighed. "You're missed, you know?"

Owl blinked. "No," he said. "Sosei Uchiha is." Aori's face twisted in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that's not who I am anymore." It was partially true. Owl had had to change. For the past five years, he'd shifted from the young shinobi trying to live up to the legend of the Uchiha into his own man, a hunter searching for the most dangerous of game. The things he had done to get this close had been bloody and in most circles, considered dishonorable. Even as an ANBU, he hadn't tortured the way he had.

Aori didn't seem to understand fully, but she didn't argue with him or press the matter. "Well," she said. "Konoha has been producing some very promising shinobi. The graduation ceremony for the Academy students is happening very soon. I saw the list before I left Konoha. Hikari Uchiha is at the top of her class."

Owl's heart pulled a bit. He imagined his little pink-haired sister, Dakko-chan, taller and blossoming into a young woman with the deadly skill of her ancestor. It almost brought a smile to his face. Resigning in himself, Sosei turned and looked at Aori.

"And Kichiro?"


	3. Butterfly II

**A/N: So it's been a while, I know. And this chapter is a bit shorter than I usually put out. I know. I've had a ton of writer's block as of late but since writing is my escape, I'm trying to push through. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Leave a review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER III**

KICHIRO

The trees ahead of Kichiro began to thin and he waited for a signal from Mirai before he made his descent to the forest floor. Kataki and Setsuka followed close behind him, landing in to his sides as he led the charge. His Sharingan guided him through the tangled branches until he landed silently on the ground. His eyes darted around as he scanned the area. When he had determined that everything was clear, Kichiro made a hand gesture and the team fell to his side.

They moved quickly, darting through the bushes until Mirai suddenly raised her hand. Kichiro halted and he looked for Setsuka and Kataki. Mirai motioned for them to take to the trees and they did so. Her red ringed eyes looked to Kichiro and she cocked her head towards the clearing. The Uchiha boy could see several figures dressed in dark grey and black trimmed with blue kanji. They were moving quickly and Kichiro heard people screaming and could smell smoke. He frowned at Mirai and she nodded. With a quick glance at the trees, Kichiro made his move.

He emerged from the underbrush, moving like a train. He summoned chakra to his hands and just as one of the ravagers turned to face him, Kichiro plowed his fist into his chest and slammed him into the ground. The dust provided enough cover for Mirai to move in at his side, slicing down the three other raiders. On the roof, Setsuka and Kataki beat the enemy into submission until one of them attempted to flee to the ground. Kichiro caught the woman out of the corner of his eye and flung a kunai toward her, grazing her shoulder when she glanced back and ducked. Kichiro sucked his teeth and Mirai disappeared in a black haze. In a few seconds, she returned with the girl restrained in her arms.

Before anyone could say anything, the girl performed a hand seal and Mirai countered with a few of her own. Kichiro watched each movement and counter with his Sharingan, registering in his head the genjutsu battle until he saw Mirai miss a cue and the girl capitalize. A kunai flew from Kichiro's hand and the enemy kunoichi barely had time to draw her own hands back as the blade passed her.

When it was almost to the wall to the kunoichi's right, Kichiro performed a substitution with his kunai, appearing in a puff of smoke. He kneed her in the side of the head and laid all of his weight on her, bending her arm out of place to restrain her. He heard a sharp hiss of pain escape from beneath her mask and Kichiro glanced back at Mirai.

"Thanks," she said softly. When Kataki and Setsuka landed in front of them, Mirai pointed. "Put her under. We're taking her back." Kichiro felt the girl squirm underneath him until Kataki pressed two chakra infused fingers to her neck and she suddenly went still. Now frozen in place, the girl in black was stiff as a board.

Kichiro stood to his feet and looked around, taking in his surroundings with the Sharingan. "Are there any survivors?" he asked. Setsuka nodded.

"A few, I think."

Kataki sucked his teeth. "We should've been here earlier. These bastards…" Kichiro blinked at the boy.

"We did what we could," he replied. "Hopefully, we made this road safer."

Mirai folded her arms as she looked around. Her narrow red gaze finally settled on Kichiro. "I have a feeling that this attack has nothing to do with attacking a trade route." She nodded towards the fiery buildings, burning to their foundation. "Random bandits interested in trade routes don't raze entire towns as part of a caravan attack."

"You think there's something else here?" Setsuka asked, twirling the large sword in her hand into the sheath on her back. "Then why would they burn the village down?"

"They said it was underground," a man said. Kichiro turned his gaze to him and saw a gray-haired man approaching. Behind him, there were three other people, a woman and two boys.

Mirai reached them first. "Are any of you injured?" The man nodded and pointed to one of the boys. Kichiro noticed now that the younger of the boys was dragging his leg and holding on to the older's arm. With his Sharingan, Kichiro could see where the boy's shin bone was broken and attempting to break the skin. He moved towards them and the boy suddenly cowered behind the older boy and woman.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," Kichiro said calmly. Setsuka nodded and smiled, taking care to keep her lips tight to avoid showing her sharpened teeth.

"He's a healer," she said.

"And one of our best," Kataki added. Kichiro tried to avoid blushing from the compliment and instead looked at the injured boy. He didn't meet his gaze.

"Your eyes," the older boy said, frowning. "They're scaring him." Kichiro returned the frown, inwardly sighing at yet another prejudiced and judgmental person in his life. Before he could swallow his pride, the older man stepped in.

"He doesn't know _who_ you are. Stories of the Uchiha predate and escape him." The old man paused and looked directly at Kichiro's squadmates then to him. "The man that led this attack had your eyes. He had a Sharingan."

Kichiro felt frozen in place for a moment and his mind went immediately to Sosei. His breaths quickened and he felt his heart tighten in his chest. A firm hand took his shoulder and Kichiro glanced to his side to see Kataki. Gulping, Kichiro tried to stabilize himself to keep from reeling from the shock. His mind traveled from point to point. The Hokage had said that they had found Sosei, not what he had been doing. But from the way the girl and her companions were dressed, they could've been from any band of marauders except they were shinobi. Kichiro's mind raced before suddenly halting.

The answer lie in finding what they were looking for.

Looking back to the injured boy, Kichiro sighed. "If I deactivate my Sharingan, will you let me heal your leg?"

The young boy looked to the older boy and then to the old man who smiled at him. Slowly, the injured boy nodded. Kichiro approached and felt the perception leave his eyes. Nevertheless, he remembered the specific breaks in the boy's leg. Summoning chakra to his hand like his mother showed him, he placed a palm over the boy's shin,mending the breaks and piecing together the pieces.

When the work was done, Kichiro looked at the boy and gave him a polite smile. "How's your leg feel?"

The boy smiled shyly. "G-good."

"What's your name?" Kichiro asked. "My name is Kichiro." The young boy smiled shyly.

"M-My name is Genki."

"Nice to meet you, kid." Kichiro stood up and looked around. Setsuka and Mirai had gone towards the heaviest flames, possibly looking to extinguish them. Kataki stood against a wall, watching Kichiro. The Uchiha walked over to him and sighed.

"Thanks for...snapping me out earlier." Kataki chuckled.

"Couldn't have you having a complete spaz attack during a mission. Besides, the kid was traumatized by whatever crazy shit he saw."

Kichiro understood all too well. "Yeah." He looked around and twisted his mouth in a frown. "Someone with a Sharingan attacked this place…

"And the village is on fire," Kataki added. "Whatever valuable thing that person was looking for, they must've found it if they burned this place."

Kichiro activated his Sharingan again, taking in every detail of the land that his visual prowess allowed him. A strange color of chakra caught his eye, contrasting sharply against the flames around it near one of the buildings. It seemed to be rising from the earth like tiny particles.

"There," Kichiro said, pointing towards the ground. He began to weave hand seals before he slammed his hand into the ground. "Doton: Chidokaku!"

The earth where the fires blazed, collapsed and then shot upwards twenty feet into the air. Dirt and dust dropped to the ground in front of Kichiro and he did his best to manipulate the earth with his chakra enough that stray rocks didn't hurt those around him. When the earth had settled, he saw exactly where the strange colored chakra had come from.

At the bottom of the twenty foot tall extension of earth, there was the top of a tree root, glowing, at least to Kichiro, as the chakra coursed through it then floated upwards like spores.

"It smells...odd," Setsuka murmured.

"You probably shouldn't breathe whatever it's putting out in," Kichiro replied. "I don't know what kind of spores it's putting out but they're coated in chakra."

"So, it's a chakra root?" Kataki asked. Mirai nodded.

"I've seen this before…" She then looked at the civilians who had stepped back several feet away from the upheaved earth. "For your safety, I think it's best that we escort you back to Konoha." The old man looked to those around him before he finally nodded and Mirai turned to Kataki. "Take a picture. We'll need to show Lord Hokage."

Kichiro knew that there was no use. A camera would never capture the chakra spurting out from the tree the way his Sharingan had. Looking to Mirai, he started to say something but closed his mouth. Suggesting that his Sharingan was enough would lead to a message being sent that someone else with a Sharingan was needed and that would mean that his father would be called.

Kichiro felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach at the thought.

Mirai instructed them to make a circle around the civilians as they made their way back to Konoha, electing to use quick, consecutive Body Flickers until they were within walking distance of the village and safe. At the gate, the shinobi guards looked down at them and Mirai nodded to them.

"We've got important information and news for the Hokage. These civilians are from the attack near the border and this girl here is a prisoner," she said. The guards nodded and the gate slowly opened. Two shinobi came forward and Mirai handed the girl over to them. "Make sure you lock her up tight. I'm sure the Hokage will want to know everything that she knows."

The jonin were notably quiet and severe, taking the girl without a word.

Kichiro exchanged glances with both Kataki and Setsuka. "Why does everything feel so weird?" he asked. Kataki shrugged.

"Maybe the Hokage put everyone on guard since there's rogue shinobi wandering within our borders. Might not want a repeat of seven years ago," he said.

"I don't think anyone would," Setsuka muttered.

Things did feel oddly tense and Kichiro could feel the pressure of the situation throughout the village. The civilians that followed behind him looked as if they could feel it too. Kichiro was pretty positive that seeing shinobi on such high alert was doing nothing to negate the fear that the younger of the boys had gained.

Kichiro turned to the two boys and smiled lightly.

"Everything is okay. The shinobi here are just trying to make sure that everyone is safe."

"Are ninja villages usually like this?" the woman asked, holding the younger boy closer to her.

"No," Kichiro replied.

"Our village is a fair bit more fun than this, I promise you." The gust of wind that followed those words alerted Kichiro to the arrival of one of the Hokage's shadow clones. Naruto Uzumaki's trademark confident and friendly smile greeted everyone though Kichiro felt as though he could see through it. Something was happening.

"Lord Hokage," Mirai said with a quick bow. Naruto's clone raised his hand and turned to the civilians.

"I guess these are the survivors from the attack…"

"The only ones," Mirai said. Naruto's clone sighed.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't get a team out to you sooner." The old man in the group nodded his head and the woman and children looked away. Kichiro saw the clone's face shift as well. He looked over to Mirai. "Let's talk in my office."

Another one of the Hokage's clones appeared and walked toward the survivors. The younger of the boy's eyes widened in awe. His face disappeared in a yellow blur as the first clone transported everyone into the Hokage's office. At the desk, Naruto sat with his hands folded and a concerned look on his face. At his side, Kichiro saw his father leaning against the wall.

Kichiro blanched and Mirai looked down at him. Sasuke Uchiha's eyes went to Kichiro, paused briefly then stared into neutral space. If things had been tense to Kichiro on the streets, it was completely suffocating now.

The Hokage either didn't realize there was tension or chose to ignore it. He leaned forward and said, "What did you find?"

Kataki pulled his camera from his bag and cycled through the images before placing it on the Hokage's desk. Sasuke's eyes followed the camera upward as the Hokage held it. Naruto stared at it for a while before looking back up at them.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked.

Swallowing his fear, Kichiro nodded. "It's part of a tree root that bloomed plants that were emitting chakra spores into the air."

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged a knowing glance. The Hokage closed his eyes and dipped his head. "A remnant of the God Tree…"

"Yes sir," Mirai replied. "I don't know how it can still exist but there's no mistaking what this is. The rogue shinobi that attacked the village burned it down, presumably to enhance the soil in the area or to try and expose the roots. We captured one of their agents and handed her over to the guards at the gate for imprisonment and questioning."

The Hokage nodded and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha dipped his head. "I'll handle it." He made a hand sign as if he were ready to depart and Kichiro felt the words leave his mouth before his brain could properly process their weight.

"They said that one of the people that attacked them had the Sharingan."

Sasuke froze. Naruto's eyes shot up and over towards his friend.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Kichiro gulped. "One of the boys, he said that one of the people that attacked the village had the Sharingan. I-I don't know what they look like or if they only had one Sharingan...I just know that the boy said that they had one."

Naruto blinked at Sasuke, who's cold gaze intensified.

"Sasuke...you don't think that…?"

"No," Sasuke replied. "It may just be a coincidence."

"What is?" Mirai asked. Sasuke shook his head and quickly crossed the floor towards Kichiro. He roughly grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Come with me." Before the Uchiha boy had any chance to protest, his father whisked them both away into an alley. Kichiro stood mere feet away from his father and felt his heart pound in his chest. "When the boy told you that one of his attackers had a Sharingan, who did your mind immediately go towards?"

Kichiro blinked. "Sosei."

"Naruto told you that some of his agents have been tracking Sosei for a while now and keeping tabs on him, correct?" Kichiro nodded and Sasuke continued. "A few days ago, the three of them failed to respond to a check-in and their bodies were found, incinerated in the forest near our borders. Then, yesterday, there was an attack in the new Kirigakure that nearly a large portion of the city, the same place Sosei was last reported. Then today, an attacker with the Sharingan burns down a village harboring the roots of a God Tree..."

Kichiro understood and followed what his father was saying but he refused to believe it. Perhaps his father was projecting his own past onto Sosei's current life. If the ones who attacked the village served Yashagoro…

"There's no way it can be Sosei," Kichiro said. "Serving Yashagoro isn't something he'd ever do." Sasuke seemed to measure Kichiro a little longer and then turned away. The frigid air between them tore at Kichiro's heart and the son of Sasuke dropped his head.

"Don't let your love for Sosei blind you." Sasuke's deep voice rumbled into Kichiro's ear and registered a response in his heart and mind that his mouth didn't speak.

 _And don't let the guilt from your past cause you to see things in others that isn't there._

The thought of Sosei turning towards whatever goal Yashagoro did nothing but make Kichiro angry. He knew his older brother and he knew that if he had a grudge, nothing would make him let it go. Kichiro also knew that his brother was an extremist and if the ends justified the means, he would do what it took.

Perhaps, even destroying part of a city?

Kichiro didn't know for sure. But as his father disappeared, presumably to head to interrogate the rogue shinobi prisoner, something in the pit of Kichiro's stomach told him that he would know the answer soon.


	4. Owl II

**CHAPTER IV**

SOSEI

Aori's litter rocked from side to side as it rolled down the road. The blue-haired woman sat calmly, sipping down a small cup of tea as she looked over what appeared to be ledger notes before grabbing another. Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"What're you doing with a Bingo Book?" he asked. Aori casually flipped through a page.

"I like to know who I may be encountering on my travels. The newer Bingo Books have psychological profiles for points of reference."

Sosei chuckled softly, though it wasn't because he found anything humorous. He knew now where she got it from. "Shoheki gave it to you," he said. Aori didn't flinch, instead staring fondly at the black book.

"Yes. He gave it to me when I became a representative of my father's company."

Sosei nodded and sat back in his seat. He had been sneaking glimpses at Aori, taking in her beauty and remembering how much he had been infatuated by her during his time in Konoha. He allowed himself to feel that fate had reunited them when he saw her on the road. He felt like a fool and he course corrected in his mind. His goal had nothing to do with Aori and accompanying her to the new Kiri was only in order to have enough money to fund his trip to the Land of Lightning. With a wagon this big, Sosei was sure she could afford it. Which also sparked a question in his brain.

"Why are you traveling so heavy without an armed escort?" Aori looked up at him and then away.

"Well, I am. My driver, Tora, has a sword on him and he's pretty good. But, the transport of the items in my wagon are top secret. Only the Hokage knows what I have," Aori said.

And my father. "So, you intended to just travel across countries with a large wagon and not encounter any issues?"

Aori smiled. "Essentially."

Sosei frowned. "What the hell are you carrying in this wagon?" Aori's smile faded and she looked back down at her Bingo Book.

"All you need to know is that it's of the utmost importance that we present it to the Water Daimyo," she said.

Scoffing and shaking his head, Sosei felt his mind race. He had been on enough missions as a shinobi not to ask too many questions but he had also been on enough missions where a lack of information on a target had nearly cost his life and the life of those around him. The mission he and Team Hae instantly came to his mind. Not knowing a thing about the Three Deaths had cost them dearly though if it hadn't been for Noboru's death, Sosei wouldn't have activated his Mangekyo. Whatever good that had done for him.

The Uchiha glanced out of the window and took in his surroundings. The roads were familiar and it felt odd for Sosei remembering that it had been seven years since his mother had evacuated him from Kirigakure's destruction on the same path that Aori's wagon bounced down now. Lost in his own mind, Sosei wondered how his life would have been if Yashin had never attacked and he had grown up in Kirigakure without his father, Sakura and his siblings. Perhaps Takuma would still be alive.

"Are you okay?" Aori asked, snapping Sosei back into reality.

"Yeah. Just observing," Sosei replied. "My mother took me down this same road when we left from Kiri." This bit of information seemed to pique Aori's interest and she placed the Bingo Book in her bag.

"It's a fairly quick pathway from Konoha to the coast and not a lot of traffic passes through here." Blinking, she added, "You never talk about your mother."

"You and I rarely talked before I left."

Nodding, Aori said, "I wish we had." Sosei resisted the urge to scoff or smile. Instead, he left his face still.

"I was busy with missions and handling family issues," he said. "And you were busy too." Aori smirked.

"I didn't take you for a jealous one, Sosei."

"I didn't take you for a damsel in distress, yet here I am protecting you," Sosei retorted.

Aori laughed. "I'm hardly a damsel in distress, but...I understand your point." Her gaze met Sosei's and once again, he felt himself get lost in it. For a moment, it felt like he was in a genjutsu but, he knew it was just his emotions.

Looking away, Sosei sighed softly. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand. Aori seemed to notice that he disengaged and resigned herself to her corner. "Can you wake me up when we're there?" she asked.

Sosei nodded silently and after a few moments had passed, he turned to stare out of the window again, taking in everything with his dark grey eyes before switching to his Sharingan to ensure he saw everything. Minutes passed as dark green leaves faded into darkness.

"Sosei?" a voice called. The Uchiha's eyes opened and he looked around, shocked to find himself standing on the road and the trees taller than what they had been. "Sosei. Stop standing around. We need to move."

Sosei turned his head and his eyes widened. His mother stood a few meters in front of him, her bright red hair blowing in the cool wind. The Uchiha blinked and shook his head.

"Mom?" he said, feeling the warmth of tears on his cheeks. His feet pushed him forward and he tried to reach out and give his mother a hug. Then, markings covered his face and she gave a hollow smile.

"For Yashin…" The explosion rocked Sosei backward and he screamed loudly as the fire burnt through his skin and to his bone, incinerating everything around him.

Gasping, Sosei sprung up in his seat and whipped his head from left to right. Sweat dripped from his chin and he gulped. He felt Aori's hand on his hand and he stared at her, taking a while to realize that his Sharingan was active.

"Sosei…" she said softly. "It was a dream, ok? Everything is alright."

Sosei painted softly and gathered himself. Aori was partially right. It had been a Sharingan nightmare, a playback of his memories twisted by his own subconscious fears. He had experienced them before but the memory of his mother on the road and exploding had been a new one, probably influenced by where he was.

Aori's wagon slowed to a stop and Sosei stepped off to gather himself and get in some fresh air. The waves washed against the shoreline, slapping a few of the rocks that dotted the shallow end of the water. A bridge stretched from the edge of the coast to another island, shrouded by mist and mountains. Sosei could faintly make out one of the large skyscrapers that made up the skyline of the New Kirigakure. He tried to focus and swat away any negative energies that he felt, finishing just as Aori's hand touched his arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Sosei nodded and looked back out over the water. He heard Aori sigh. "Don't make me leave you here." Acknowledging her comment, Sosei followed her to the wagon and sat next to her. The Uchiha rested his hand on his chin as the wagon pulled off and headed to the bridge.

The ride was quick and peaceful enough for Sosei to watch the waves and admire how far Kirigakure had come in the seven years since he had seen it. What was once a devastated crater now looked like a modern city on the level of what Konoha had been before Sosei left. Buildings dotted the skyline and cylindrical nature of the architecture blended with the waterfalls that poured off the cliffs near the gates, creating a pulse of foamy waves that pushed toward the ferry that Sosei and Aori were boarded on.

Sosei felt the weight of his sword on his waist and shifted it as he stood up straight to meet the gaze of the Kirigakure shinobi that were there to greet them.

Aori bowed. "My name is Aori Hasuya and I bring greetings and a gift from Konohagakure. I represent my father Shiro Hasuya and his company."

One of the Kiri guards, a tall woman with long reddish-brown nodded. "Ah yes, the Mizukage sent me ahead to meet and escort you to him, Lady Aori. My name is Misuno." The woman's eyes then floated to Sosei and seemed to take in every detail. "Who is this that accompanies you?"

Before Aori could answer, Sosei spoke up. "My name is Fukuro. I'm just here to make sure she's safe." The woman stared at them for a while longer before nodding in silence.

"Very well. Please," she said, gesturing for them to follow her. "Let's not keep the Mizukage and Daimyo waiting." Sosei nodded and took in a deep breath as Misuno led them through the gates and into an elevator. The wagon sat on the ferry as two other Kiri shinobi lifted it from the boat.

"Will it be alright?" Aori asked. Misuno dipped her head.

"Just fine. They'll transport it to the top of the gate to meet us," she said. Aori sighed softly.

"Hopefully, they don't use any water jutsu. It might fry the machine," she muttered.

Sosei's ears piqued. Machine. One of the words that he heard in the mind of the man he tortured. Immediately, he tried to use reason. How could Yashagoro have been talking about whatever Aori had with her and how could it be connected to the God Tree? If there was even the slightest chance that he knew about the machine Aori had, Sosei had to be careful.

The elevator stopped and the doors hissed open. Misuno and Aori stepped forward while Sosei followed close behind, once again taking in his surroundings. The streets of Kirigakure were bustling though Sosei noted that the population was still considerably less than Konoha.

"Has the village seen any boosts to its population since being rebuilt?" Aori asked.

"Somewhat. The attack years ago sent many people away as refugees to different shinobi villages and lands. The Mizukage hopes that the rebuild and renovation of the village will invite more citizens," Misuno said.

"Perhaps it's a security concern," Sosei said absently. "The entire world has been on edge for seven years since these new terrorists have surfaced." Misuno raised an eyebrow at him.

"And you know of these terrorists?"

"You'd have a hard time finding any sword for hire that doesn't," Sosei replied.

His journey the last five years had taught him a great deal about Yashagoro's operation. They had spies everywhere and they were constantly recruiting rogue shinobi of all ages, but primarily those who were raised on the ideology of the Bloody Mist. These people were the ones that had originally swore loyalty to Yashin after declaring the world of peace too soft and stagnant for shinobi to continue their way of life. In a way, Sosei understood their point of view. The market for people who were capable of destroying entire armies and restructuring a landscape with a single battle was dwindling. The villages that couldn't adapt to the new world created by the Shinobi Alliance were near destitute, only floating based on the generosity of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Any prideful shinobi leader though, especially those older than the Kage currently in power, could never bear to be seen as a vassal to another and the frustrated youth could easily be manipulated by Yashagoro's calls for revolution.

So manipulated, they'd throw their lives away in an explosion.

"Well, we've taken multiple steps to ensure that those events won't happen again. It's hard to constantly be on alert but the Mizukage insists that we are ready for war at any time," Misuno said.

"Hopefully, there won't be a need for that." Aori smiled as her wagon pulled up towards them. The Kiri shinobi looked as if they were sweating profusely after moving the oversized cart and Sosei was relieved that the duty hadn't fallen to him. Misuno led them further ahead towards a large cylindrical building in the center of the village. Though it was renovated and heavily restructured, Sosei immediately recognized it as the office of the Mizukage. He remembered being called into the office to see the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi as a young boy for a reprimand against a beating he had given a fellow student. He also remembered seeing the top of the dome blown away when Yashin sacked the city.

When the trio reached the entrance to the Mizukage's office, Misuno led them to another elevator. Aori stopped and turned to the Kiri shinobi that were handling the wagon.

"You can remove the cover and the shell from the device now. I'll take it up from here." When the Kiri shinobi looked apprehensively to Misuno, Aori rolled her eyes. "I promise you it's safe to handle. Just open it and give me the three parts inside."

Again, the Kiri shinobi looked to Misuno and the tall woman nodded a confirmation. One of the shinobi tore the cotton cover off of the wagon, revealing a large round metal chamber. He then twisted the latch on one of the chamber's doors and pulled back. The door creaked open and Aori stepped forward. Sosei watched as she pulled two objects from the chamber, a small metal cylinder and a metal glove.

Aori turned and Sosei could see the pride radiating from the blue-haired woman's face. Misuno stared, unmoving.

"Are you ready, Lady Aori?" she asked coolly. Without waiting for an answer, Misuno turned toward the open elevator doors. Aori and Sosei followed close behind her. The metal doors slid to a close and Aori looked up at Sosei.

"When we get in there, I'll need your help with the presentation of the glove," she said. Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

Aori held the metal device out and flipped it around to show the palm and the fingerprint points, all of which were clear. "Just put it on like any other glove and when I explain it in the room, you'll know what to do." Sosei blinked at the glove and then took it from Aori. It felt odd being cast as some sort of science experiment in Aori's scheme. He hadn't thought that this would be part of his job as a bodyguard.

The elevator dinged as it reached their destination and when the metal doors opened, Misuno led them through to a circular council room. As Sosei entered, he was surprised by the amount of guards that were dotted around, all of them hooded figures with different ANBU masks. One of them distinctly had on a blank mask. For a moment, it seemed the two of them locked eyes, though from what Sosei could see, the agent's mask had no eye openings. Sosei turned his attention from the odd Kiri ANBU to the center of the room. At the table, sat the Sixth Mizukage, Chojuro and an older chubby man dressed in traditional ornamental robes touched with splashes of royal blue and gold. Sosei recognized the garb as daimyo wear.

Aori bowed and Sosei maintained his posture, however irreverent it may have seemed. Chojuro didn't seem to mind though the Water Daimyo visibly grew flustered.

"Lord Mizukage and Lord Ishigawa," Aori said as she rose. "It's an honor to have this audience with you both and make this presentation."

"The pleasure is all ours," Chojuro replied, leaning forward with interest. "Please, tell us what you've brought?" Aori nodded and stepped forward.

"As you know, my lords, we live in a time of terror and war. Attacks happen randomly and indiscriminately and sometimes it feels as though it's only a matter of time before the next big one. However the Hasuya Company has worked extensively studying the human biology, especially shinobi, and have crafted a device for such defenses." She held out the small cylinder with one hand. "I present to you a Chakra Barrier. This device consumes no chakra at all and repels jutsu. With this, there are no seals to perform and no way for an enemy shinobi to shut it down from the outside."

Chojuro and the daimyo exchanged glances before the chubby man cleared his throat. "Have you field tested the power of this, er, device?"

Aori's face lit up like a candle in a pitch black room. "Actually, I wanted to perform one for you all with another of my father's inventions." She looked at Sosei and waved him forward. He held out his hand and showed the metal glove. "This is the Chakra Enhancer glove, powerful enough to increase your chakra output tenfold. For example, my associate Fukuro will perform a jutsu in one hand and the same jutsu with the gloved hand."

Sosei nearly gawked at Aori. Did she truly expect him to perform a jutsu in both hands? Did she want to blow his cover. To his relief, the daimyo raised his hand.

"Ah, t-that won't be necessary," he stammered, sweat seeming to drip from one of his chins. "Right, Mizukage?"

Chojuro rubbed his chin. "Well it'd certainly be interesting," he admitted. "But, if your barrier repels jutsu it might just destroy this room." With a smile, Chojuro continued. "Your father has been extremely generous with helping with the rebuilding effort here in Kiri and for that, I owe him my thanks. However, despite the severity of the danger in the world, I think it best to invest in my people rather than new technology."

Aori's spirit didn't falter and she instead returned Chojuro's smile and bowed. "Thank you, Lord Mizukage for your time."

"Wait, before you go," Chojuro said. "I'm having a small festival in celebration of the completion of one of our skyscrapers. Perhaps you and…"

"Fukuro," Sosei said.

Chojuro gave a subtle, knowing glance. "Right. Perhaps you both could attend and then rest before you return home?"

"Who would I be to refuse your invitation?" Aori said.

"Great," Chojuro replied. "I hope to see you both tonight."

Aori bowed again and Sosei followed her out of the room. Once they were inside of the elevator, Aori's polite facade broke.

"Well that was an unexpected disaster."

"Would have been worse if they had allowed that test to go through. The hell were you thinking?" Sosei asked, noting the calm anger in his own voice.

"That maybe you could perform that Chidori jutsu and make it bigger, I suppose."

"And completely blown my cover," Sosei said. "Everywhere we go, I am hunting for followers of Yashagoro. If they know I'm coming or where I am, that instantly puts us both in great danger."

Aori silently nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry, I just really wanted to nail this sale but shinobi are so wary of technological advances."

"Technology can fail you and at a critical moment, it could mean life or death. Most of us would rather our deaths be our own fault."

"Shinobi are weird," Aori said, finally as the elevator doors opened, revealing Misuno waiting for them.

"Lord Mizukage has requested that I escort you to your hotel."

Sosei and Aori exchanged a look and Aori giggled. A sweet sound.

Misuno led them to a large and fancy hotel near the center of the village and when Sosei entered, he was taken aback by the sheer beauty and majesty of the lobby, a bright marble floored space that looked as if it was reserved for royalty. After spending the last five years sleeping outside or in a bar, Sosei was impressed by the extravagance. It almost seemed out of place.

Misuno checked them in and after they had been situated, the woman said, "If you have any issues, please contact Lord Mizukage immediately."

"Will do," Sosei said.

Once he and Aori were alone in the hotel elevator again, Sosei could sense the mix of emotions radiating off of her. He could feel her disappointment and sadness and felt compelled to think of a way to cheer her up. But all his mind went to was the man she had waiting for her in Konoha, the mission he had to go on and how their paths could never converge past that point. The disparity between what Sosei wanted to do and what he needed to do were further represented by the hallway between his room and Aori's.

The two stood in the hall briefly and Aori looked up at Sosei. "Thanks for accompanying me. I know it's been...a little odd for you. But I appreciate it."

"Just don't forget to pay me," Sosei jested. Aori laughed.

"Don't worry, when we leave tomorrow, I'll draw from one of my father's international accounts and get you a nice parting gift."

Sosei nodded. "Sounds good."

A few silent passed between them, before Aori finally said, "I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well." She entered her room and closed the door, leaving Sosei alone in the hallway. Sighing, the Uchiha entered his own room and immediately buzzed for room service. Within minutes, a bottle of sake was delivered to him and Sosei took an hour to soak in the bathtub and drink.

In his drunkenness, he thought of his family, imagining how big Kichiro and Hikari had grown and if his father had changed his ways since Takuma's death. He thought about his dead brother and his mother, grasping tight to the memories he had with them.

After soaking stiff muscles and tired bones, Sosei dragged himself to his bed and tried to get cozy enough to finally sleep, but despite how comfortable his hotel bed was and how soothing the sake had been, his mind wouldn't rest. It raced, trying to connect the dots between Aori's chakra enhancing machines and the God Tree, with the word cleanse simply hanging in limbo. Leaning forward in his bed, Sosei sighed and swung his feet to the floor before getting up and walking to the bathroom. When he had finished washing his hands and turned the sink off, he thought he heard a click and thought that it had been because of the sink turning off until he quickly tested it again. Furrowing his brow, Sosei left the bathroom and rounded the corner.

The window beside his bed was open and he saw a hooded figure attempting to leave his room with the Chakra Enhancer glove in their hand. The figure turned to face Sosei and all the Uchiha saw was a blank porcelain mask. The same one from the Mizukage's council room. As soon as the figure moved, Sosei followed quickly behind him, leaping through the window with his hand outstretched.

The figure darted from one rooftop to another, so fast and erratic that Sosei had trouble keeping up. Cursing under his breath, Sosei activated his Sharingan and the figure's movements became much clearer. Predicting their next jumping point, Sosei darted there to cut them off, enhancing his speed with the Body Flicker jutsu.

Sosei's eyes widened when the figure flipped over his head, flipping him the middle finger as he elegantly landed and ran away.

"Piece of shit…" Sosei muttered. He burst forward again and this time the figure seemed to slow down. From what Sosei could tell, they were approaching the brightly lit village square. The figure reached a hand into their pocket and removed a large scroll. They skidded to a halt and turned to Sosei. The Uchiha could almost see the arrogant grin on his face.

"Ah, so Yashagoro's intel was correct. Sosei Uchiha is back in Kirigakure," he said. "I had a fairly hard time recognising you earlier but your little false identity gave you away. 'Fukuro'."

Sosei frowned. It had been another stupid mistake. "Tell me why you need the glove…"

"Or what? You'll kill me? You can't even touch me, Uchiha."

"I haven't tried yet," Sosei retorted. The figure laughed.

"Bold words. I'll make this easy for you though," he said, throwing Sosei the glove. "I don't need it." Sosei frowned and the figure continued. "What I do need, however, is for you to think quickly on your feet because into ten seconds," he said, gesturing behind him to the village square. "A lot of people are going to be spread a lot of places." He gripped the roll of paper tightly in his hand as explosive tag symbols started to form on it.

Acting quickly, Sosei activated his Mangekyo. The black flames of Amaterasu shot toward the figure but he moved out of the way as elegantly as he had dodged Sosei before. The Uchiha shot forward and tried to focus his gaze again, this time with his left eye. The Mahakara time bubble froze the figure in place and Sosei closed the distance between them in an instant. However, no sooner than he had reached out his hand to grab the figure, was he gone. With widened eyes, Sosei's head ripped around searching for the disappeared man only to see him hovering above the square with the roll of explosive paper in his hand. The paper descended from his hand and the figure gave Sosei the middle finger again.

"My name is Tsuigeki, new ascendant of the Three Deaths, Sosei Uchiha. And we will meet again," he said before disappearing in a puff of smoke and the odd sound of a click.

Sosei watched as the roll of paper fell and thought of how he'd be able to disarm it before it hit the ground and killed everyone below. Then something sparked in Sosei's brain. Tsuigeki had stolen the glove then given it back to him, claiming he didn't need it. If that was the case, then this entire chase had been nothing more than a distraction.

With a start, Sosei realized that Tsuigeki was after the Chakra Enhancer field device and by extension, Aori. He didn't have time to dispose of the paper bomb and race back to save Aori and her device. He couldn't allow it to fall into Yashagoro's hands but at the same time, a bomb in the midst of a crowded square would be a disastrous loss of innocent life. The loss of fifty people now or thousands if not millions later if Yashagoro had his way.

Sosei turned away from the square and raced back towards the hotel.

Suddenly, he slammed against a wall.

His head thumped and his ears rang as he looked around, realizing instantly that he was still in his hotel room. He had never left the room. The clicks outside of his room and the clicks as Tsuigeki had disappeared...it had been a sound-based genjutsu and Sosei had fallen into it without even realizing it. Then, was the threat of the paper bomb even…

A loud explosion outside of his room answered the question for him and Sosei rounded the corner out of his bathroom and then paused. Outside of his window, the village square was on fire and he could hear people screaming. He heard another voice shouting followed by a thud. It was Aori.

Sosei burst out of his room and ran across the hall to Aori's room. He kicked the door down and saw a man in a blank porcelain mask holding Aori in his arm. "Well, fuck me," Tsuigeki said. There was another clicking sound and Sosei scoffed.

"Not now," he said. His Sharingan eyes flashed. "Your genjutsu is finished."

Tsuigeki chuckled. "Well, it was definitely worth a shot. I pegged you for the heroic type. Didn't expect you to let those people die."

"As long as you're one of them," Sosei replied. He looked at Aori and then back to Tsuigeki. "This is your last chance to get out of here alive."

"Again, bold words. Don't think because you have one technique down that you can beat me so easily," Tsuigeki said. Sosei sighed softly and stepped forward. As soon as he did, Tsuigeki drew a kunai and placed it to Aori's throat. The blue-haired woman's eyes slowly opened and she looked up at Tsuigeki before looking back to Sosei. Tsuigeki didn't see to notice and pressed the blade under Aori's chin. "I don't explicitly need this girl, but since she seems so important to you, I think I'll take her along as insurance. What do you have to say about that, Uchiha?"

Sosei made indirect eye contact with Aori then looked back to Tsuigeki, activating his Sharingan. He slid the Chakra Enhancer glove onto his hand and waited for it to open the chakra points in his palm. Aori blinked twice and positioned her leg between Tsuigeki's. Sosei let out a small breath. This had to be perfect.

"Duck," Sosei said as lightning crackled in his hand, extending into a controlled blade reminiscent of his father's Lightning Spear. In the same moment that he moved, Aori's leg rose up to kick Tsuigeki in the groin and she leapt to the ground. Reeling, Tsuigeki was left exposed. Sosei jabbed forward with the crackling spear, piercing Tsuigeki's chest and pinning him against the wall. Aori ran behind Sosei and the Uchiha stared up at Tsuigeki. "It's over."

Tsuigeki coughed. "Y-you're right. It is." Straining, he raised his hand to his face and withdrew his blank porcelain mask. Behind it, was a young face with unkempt dirty blonde hair hanging over his face. He didn't look to be any older than Sosei was. The smile on his face hadn't faded. "It's over for your world."

"What do you mean?" Sosei asked.

Tsuigeki laughed, a strained and throaty one. "You don't pay attention at all. I told you that I don't need the girl. I got what I came for."

"The machine…" Aori gasped.

"Tell me where you're taking it. Why Yashagoro needs it…" Sosei said, staring deeply into Tsuigeki's eyes with the Sharingan. The servant of Yashagoro laughed.

"I am a member of the Three Deaths, Sosei Uchiha. Do you really think I'd fall to such weak genjutsu interrogation. Especially since…" In a puff of smoke and a click, Tsuigeki disappeared, leaving Sosei and Aori in her hotel room.

The blue-haired woman ran around her room, diving into the closet and she looked around. When she emerged, her eyes were glazed over and her hand was pressed against her forehead. Sosei could tell that she was distraught and he knew exactly why this was the case.

"The device...my father's invention is gone!"


	5. Blossom I

**CHAPTER V**

HIKARI

The world had always seemed weird to Hikari. When she was born, she was showered with love by her parents and two older brothers and for the first three years of her life, it had been just them. Then, Sosei arrived and though she hadn't understood then the implications of his appearance, she had been excited to have another big brother added to her life. In the end, however, it seemed life had determined that she only needed two brothers in her life. Takuma died shortly after his battle against Hajime during the Chunin Exam and Hikari hadn't fully grasped why it had happened when she was a child. She thought that Hajime had killed her brother and for a few months, she found herself resenting him in a way only a five year old Uchiha could. It wasn't until years later that she realized the kind of emotional turmoil her brother had gone through and what had pushed him to kill himself.

That realization had awakened her Sharingan at age seven.

Sosei left shortly after Takuma's funeral and the loss of another brother had hurt Hikari greatly. With only Kichiro left, the two of them grew even closer than they had been. Even though she was five years younger than he was, Kichiro often confided in her and trusted her. He had revealed secrets to her that she had held close to her chest and accepted as parts of who he was. It hurt again when Kichiro had left home after an argument with their father. That argument, along with the stress and anguish caused by Takuma's death, had also caused her parents to separate, leaving Hikari with her mother.

Outside circumstances hadn't been the only thing to make Hikari feel abandoned and alone. Ever since she had started realizing her potential and power as a kunoichi, she had felt like she was far more advanced than her peers. While her classmates struggled learning clone techniques, she had perfected them and started elemental jutsu training. She had a grasp on tactics and formations that often left her instructors feeling lost. People called Hikari a genius but all she felt was alone. Something about the way she thought and understood things made it difficult for her to identify with the other children in her class. The only people she felt comfortable talking to was her mother and Kichiro. Sure, she forced herself to interact with the other girls and boys but she never felt as if she was being her true self. She couldn't tell anyone about how she felt alienated from people her age or how her family being ripped apart had torn her up on the inside.

Hikari sat in class while her instructor droned on about the topic of the week, the "transformation jutsu". Her fingers circled one of her short pink pigtails as the girls next to switched between attentively listening and gossiping. She ignored them, trying to imagine what animals she saw in the clouds until she thought she heard her name. She honed her ears in to listen to what was being said.

"We should ask her to help us," one girl with long flowing black hair said. Another girl, blonde, rolled her eyes.

"Hikari wouldn't help us, she's stuck-up and thinks she's better than all of us."

"Well," the girl with the black hair said. "She is. When is the last time you saw her struggle with any jutsu?"

"Ugh. It's just a stupid transformation jutsu. We'll get it."

Hikari tuned them out again and sighed as she stared out of the window. In the front of the classroom, she heard her instructor call for volunteers to perform the transformation jutsu. When no one answered, the instructor sighed.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to call on anyone," he said before looking up. "Tetsuya Senpuku...come on down."

Hikari turned her head to the sound of a chair being pushed back and blinked when she saw a young boy sigh and stand to his feet. He had short sandy brown hair and eyes that were several shades darker. Hikari had noticed him before. Like her, he often seemed to be completely bored by the lessons of the week. But unlike her…

Tetsuya's transformation jutsu was incredibly poor. Before the smoke had even cleared, Hikari could tell that it was a poor imitation of the appearance of the Hokage, bleached and hollowed like a zombie. When the instructor shook his head, Tetsuya shrugged and returned to his seat. Hikari watched him as he ascended the stairs and as he passed, the two of them locked eyes.

Hikari was called up next to perform the transformation jutsu, doing so without performing a hand seal. She looked over the class through the eyes of the Hokage, admiring how tall she was and how small everyone else appeared to her. After a few moments had passed, she reverted back to her normal form and coolly walked back to her seat. Tetsuya was eyeing her this time and she met his gaze with her inquisitive green eyes.

When the class was over, Hikari grabbed her bag and headed outside. Across from her school building, she sat on the swing underneath the tree, dug into her bag and pulled out a sandwich that her taste buds had been lusting for.

She hadn't even opened her mouth to eat her food, before she had to pull her sandwich back to avoid it getting slapped from her hand. Hikari's eyes shot up and saw a group of girls from her class. The lead, the blonde girl from earlier, folded her arms and stared down at her.

"You think you're special, don't you? With your cotton candy hair and frog green eyes," she said.

Hikari inwardly rolled her eyes. "If that was the best you could come up with, you shouldn't have bothered to come over here."

The blonde girl's eye twitched and she balled her fist. She looked like she was prepared to throw a punch. "You little…" Her hand raised and Hikari had had enough.

"Leave me alone." When Hikari looked up, she could see the blood red glow of her Sharingan reflected in the blonde girl's colorless and fearful face. The other girls behind her ran away, leaving the blonde girl in front of Hikari. The little girl frowned. "Go."

The blonde girl was out of sight before Hikari had the chance to sit down and deactivate her eyes. Smiling now that she was finally alone, Hikari took a bite of her sandwich and sighed to herself.

"That was super freaky," a voice said above Hikari. The girl looked up and took another bite of her sandwich. It was Tetsuya.

"Bit more weird that you're watching me from a tree. Why are you up there?" Hikari asked. Tetsuya shrugged.

"The view is nice," he said. Hikari looked forward and then all around her, then raised her head to look up at Tetsuya.

Smiling and kicking her feet on the swing, she said, "You're a better climber than a liar." Tetsuya swung down from the branches of the tree and landed in front of her. He then walked to her side and sat down at the base of the tree.

"Why'd those girls try to knock your sandwich out of your hand?"

"They're scared and jealous of me."

"A pink haired girl is kind of weird," Tetsuya said. Hikari gave him a sideway glance and the boy shrugged.

"They think bullying me and making me feel like I 'don't belong' will make up for their insecurities but they're wrong," Hikari said, after chewing another bite of her sandwich.

"Hm, that's why I don't try." He made a hand seal and transformed into a perfect copy of Hikari, except he kept his own clothes. "I don't like standing out. It's a hassle. People just don't leave you alone."

"You're still a liar," Hikari said. "You climbed that try and hid from me so you could show off to me. If you didn't want to stand out, you could've just walked over."

Tetsuya looked up at her with a smug grin. "So what if I did?"

"Then don't lie to me." Hikari had finished her sandwich and stood up from the swing and fixed her bag strap on her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tetsuya," she said. There was a puff of smoke and Tetsuya returned to his original visage.

"Hikari Uchiha, right?" he called.

"Yep."

"See you later, Lady Hikari." When Hikari turned, Tetsuya waa gone and the pink-haired girl blinked then shrugged.

"What a weirdo…" she said under her breath. The walk home was a solitary and quiet one, allowing Hikari to be absorbed into her thoughts. She enjoyed this time alone without her mother crowding her with questions and her presence. Hikari ran through a list of things she wanted to do when she got home, from practicing a new fire technique to trying to hone her Sharingan.

The apartment building that she and her mother now lived in looked overhead and Hikari stepped into the building and headed upstairs. Her keys jingled at the end of her finger as she opened the door. The sweet smell of pastries hit Hikari's nose and she saw her mother over the stove. Her mother turned when she heard her enter and smiled.

"Hey mom," Hikari said, setting her bag down near her room before climbing up on a stool in front of the kitchen counter.

Sakura walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Hey, sweetie, how are you?"

Hikari shrugged. "Fine. What are you making?"

"Lemon cakes."

"Should've known," Hikari said with a smirk. She had requested some the other day. Sakura laughed, a rare sound these days.

"You should have." Sakura knelt down and pulled the pan from the oven. "How was your day?"

"It was ok. We just went over the stupid transformation jutsu again and I had to do it front of the class." The annoyance in her voice was clear and Sakura raised a finger.

"Even the most simple jutsu if applied correctly can be effective in a matter of life or death," she said. Hikari rolled her eyes.

"You sound like my instructor."

"Well, it's true." Sakura shrugged. "So, what else happened?"

"Some girls tried to knock my sandwich out of my hand…"

Sakura froze.

"But, I scared them away with my Sharingan."

Sakura turned.

"Y-you...Hikari, why did you do that?"

Hikari frowned. "Do what? Show my Sharingan?"

"Well, yes, but I mean scare your classmates with it?"

"Because, Mom," Hikari said. "They think I'm a freak that thinks I'm better than them so they try to bully me and make me feel like I don't belong. Like I'm a monster or something. So, I reminded them that I can be what they see me as if they push me."

Sakura stared at her, wordlessly and her eyes looked as if she was searching for something to say. Finally, with a sigh, she looked away. Hikari inwardly knew what that meant.

"You're thinking I'm just like Daddy, aren't you?" she asked. Sakura didn't turn for a while and when she did, she had cut out a piece of the lemon cake and placed it on a plate for Hikari.

"A little. I just...don't want you to feel like there's anything wrong with you." Sakura slowly pushed the plate towards Hikari. "You are special. Extremely special. You have enormous potential that you're barely tapping into now. But that doesn't make you a monster."

"But it makes me different…" Hikari said. She sighed softly. "That's just what we are. The Uchiha…" Her mother rubbed her head and looked in her eyes, smiling.

"It does, but as a shinobi, mediocrity and normalcy aren't desirable. I didn't have any special kekkai genkai or techniques so I had to better myself to be useful. You just have a gift and talent no one else has."

Hikari nodded and sighed. At one point, she may have thought that she'd be having this conversation with her father about the power and pride of the Uchiha. It was a thought that made her say, "Why are you and Daddy separated?"

This caused her mother to pause again and Hikari could see a wave of sadness wash over her face. Sakura sucked in a deep breath and then produced a sad smile on her face. "It's complicated, sweetie."

"I know," Hikari said. "But, I want to know." Sakura nodded and gently shrugged as she went to the sink and started washing dishes.

"Well...we argued a lot after Takuma died and Sosei left. Your father was so angry with himself, he lashed out at everyone, including Kichiro and I. When he wasn't being cold, he would be away for days at a time in the forest, training and took every opportunity he could to interrogate anyone connected to the terrorists connected to Yashagoro. And, eventually, he just got consumed with revenge."

"Again?" Hikari asked. When her mother turned to her, she said, "I heard some things about the war in class." The statement had been true. In history, they covered all of the Shinobi World Wars and her father had been a hero of the fourth and supposedly final war. But she had actually heard statements about her father's old obsession with vengeance resurfacing when she overheard her parents arguing.

"Oh," Sakura said, seemingly taking a mental note of that.

"So, are you never getting together again? And is Kichiro going to stay with us?" Hikari asked. Sakura shook the water from her hands.

"I don't know. I know Kichiro just got back from a mission today so maybe. I think he wants to be there for your father." Hikari nodded and ate the last bit of her lemon cake and hopped off of the stool.

"Thanks for talking to me, Mom," she said. Sakura walked over to her and poked her forehead with two fingers.

"Anytime."

Hikari blushed and went down the hallway to her room. The sun hadn't even begun to set yet and despite being bored and full of food, Hikari wasn't tired. With a spark of inspiration, she changed into a black qipao dress with the bright red and white Uchiha crest displayed proudly on her back with black arm warmers and leggings. She fastened her sandals and left her room. As she passed the kitchen, her mother smirked.

"Where you headed?"

"To a training field near some water. I'll be back before the sun comes down," Hikari said. Sakura nodded.

"Alright, be careful. And remember not to over exert yourself," her mother said.

"Yes, mama!" Hikari rushed through the door and out onto the street. She took the rooftops to the nearest training field and landed elegantly at the edge of the trees. The little Uchiha walked out onto the field, enjoying the gust of wind blowing through her hair. Birds flew above her head and Hikari watched them inquisitively as they zigzagged and darted above her, catching small insects. Their movements were hard to read with her naked eye but they weren't the only pair she had.

With her Sharingan active, she could see everything pulsating muscle in one of the tiny bird's bodies and took note of every movement of their wings and feathers. Somehow, she felt herself memorizing every movement of the bird as her Sharingan followed until she could predict where the bird was going to go or do before it made a single move.

Focusing chakra to her feet, Hikari launched herself into the air. She grabbed the bird in her hand, gently caressing it into her other hand as she landed. The bird chirped and Hikari opened up her palm. The constant, shrill sound reminded Hikari of her father's favored technique. As she let the bird go, Hikari let curiosity get the best of her again. She had inherited her mother's looks and chakra control and from her father, she had inherited a predisposed talent for combat and the Sharingan. She also had her father's fire chakra nature. Had she also inherited his natural propensity for lightning?

She had remembered the hand seals but performed them steadily, remembering to focus her chakra with every seal before she released it all into the palm of her hand. The chakra didn't form initially and Hikari furrowed her brow slightly in frustration. Perhaps she had the chakra control to perform the jutsu but not the chakra reserves of her father. At least not yet. But she could feel that she was on the right path. Hikari performed the hand seals again, this time, moving faster and focusing the chakra into her left hand.

The chakra chirped once in her palm, before burning out. Hikari let out a small sigh. She was getting closer. She stared at her palm with her Sharingan and performed the seals once more and applied the perfect amount of pressure to her hand. This time, the chakra formed fully in her hand, although instead of sounding like a thousand birds chirping, it sounded like a single shrill bird call that then faded away from Hikari's hand.

Sweat dripped from Hikari's chin and she wiped it away. Her hand was beginning to feel numb but her curiosity forbade her from quitting. For the final time, she repeated her moves and summoned the small shrill sounding spark of lightning in her hand.

With glowing scarlet eyes and a proud smile on her face, Hikari realized that she hadn't recreated her father's Chidori but had instead created something new and applicable for her. If the girls in her class had been jealous and thought she was a monster before, Hikari could only imagine how'd they react if they ever saw this.

 _I_ am _my father's daughter. Hikari Uchiha!_


	6. Butterfly III

**A/N: It's been a while, I know. Thanks for your patience (whomever is out there). Please enjoy and review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER VI**

KICHIRO

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Sweat dripped from Kichiro's chin, creating a small puddle in the dirt-laden ground. His arms and legs felt tight and burned from exertion as he sat back against a tree and let the breeze cool his drenched body. Two hundred one-armed push-ups and four hundred squats. A new record, one that he had only achieved to take his mind off of his father's troubling implication that Sosei had become the very thing that he had apparently left Konoha to stop. Frowning, Kichiro shook the thought and sweat from his head and stood to his feet and flexed his fingers. Feeling returned to his hands and arms and the Uchiha exhaled.

Kichiro created three Shadow Clones that circled around him. He cracked his knuckles and smirked at his clones.

"Bring it," he said.

The three rushed him and attacked in a coordinated fashion that Kichiro read easily with his Sharingan. He tossed one of his clones over his shoulder into another and whirled into a haymaker that caused the third clone to disappear in a puff of smoke. The other two rose to their feet and nodded to each other. With a quick burst of speed, the split and attempted a pincer movement on him. Kichiro clenched his jaw and raised his arms to block the hits from his clones, before lifting his elbows into their faces.

Once again, there were two puffs of smoke as the clones disappeared. Kichiro let out a small exhale, stretched his arms and dropped down to stretch his legs until he heard a satisfying crack.

"Impressive." Kataki's voice carried over the airways into Kichiro's ears. The young Uchiha turned and saw Kataki's brown eyes looking at him. Kichiro grabbed a rag wiped the sweat off of his face, covering the fact that he couldn't control his blushing.

"Not exactly," he said softly. "It's pretty easy to predict what your clones are going to do." Kataki leaned against a tree as Kichiro went to pick up the shirt he had discarded before beginning his training.

"Why don't you train with someone else then?" Kataki asked.

"Because I'd have to hold back."

Kataki scoffed. "Oh, get the fuck out of here. I've seen you fight, Kichiro. You're strong but I'm sure I could take anything you dish out."

A laugh formed in Kichiro's chest and he almost let it out. Kataki had seen him fight to incapacitate with several inhibitions to avoid doing too much. He had never seen him go all out, with his hand forced to kill an opponent. Kichiro's role on their team had always been as the medic, a role that his father hadn't been too keen on. The thought alone made Kichiro slightly upset and seemed as though Kataki picked up on it because he moved closer to him and touched his shoulder.

"Hey, you alright?" he said, a touch of softness to his voice. Kichiro looked up at him and sighed staring into his eyes before averting his gaze.

"Yeah," he replied, a bit more gruff than he had intended. Kataki chuckled.

"You know for a shinobi, you're a terrible liar...Shitchiro." The smirk on Kataki's face was so reminiscent of the boy from the Academy that had always been better than Kichiro and had tortured him relentlessly that the Uchiha wanted to punch him in his jaw. Though the way he had said it reminded of the young man in front of him that had helped him grow stronger and been there for him. The person he…

"There you guys are." Setsuka's voice sawed through the rails of Kichiro's train of thought and the brown-haired girl walked through the trees with a serious look on her face. Kataki quickly turned to her and Kichiro swallowed and stood up.

"What's up, Setsuka? You look...concerned," Kataki said. Kichiro had to agree. Setsuka's normally bright face was noticeably dark with worry.

"We're being called out again," Setsuka said.

Kichiro shook his head. "Was there another attack?"

"No," Setsuka said. "We're a part of the team tasked with finding your brother." Kichiro suddenly felt cold. They were going after Sosei. They headed immediately into the village and when Kichiro got into the Hokage's office, he had only one question.

"Why are you sending me if you think Sosei attacked Kiri?"

The Hokage's eyes were understanding but stern. "Because you are a shinobi and I need you to perform your duty."

Kichiro balled his fist. "Lord Hokage, I...can't. I can't kill him." Naruto's eyes widened and then he smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to. I want you to bring him back. I've assembled this team of people that he knows and is close to because I don't want him to think that we're hunting him like a missing-nin. Find him and bring him back."

Kichiro felt a weight lift off of his shoulders and tightness around his temple fade. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I won't fail, Lord Hokage."

Naruto nodded. "Move quickly and be safe."

Kichiro returned the Hokage's nod and turned quickly to leave the office. Outside, Kataki, Setsuka, and Mirai waited for him. His former sensei's face was a canvas of concern. The young Uchiha feigned a smile.

"I'm okay," he said. "Is it just us?"

"Apparently," Kataki answered. Setsuka's mouth twisted.

"It's...been so long since we've seen him." Kichiro dipped his head.

"Yeah…"

Mirai waved her hand. "Let's move. We can talk about this while we're on our way to the coordinates." Kichiro looked around, suddenly aware of the multitude of potential prying eyes and ears walking through the hallway. Frowning, he agreed with his sensei.

In a unified move, the four disappeared in a Body Flicker and the next thing Kichiro's feet touched was a tree branch and he burst through the trees behind Mirai. Flanking him, Setsuka and Kataki both seemed to look at him at the same time.

"Yo," Kataki said. "Are you okay?"

Kichiro frowned. "Yeah, I told you that already."

"But you're crying," Setsuka said. The young Uchiha felt a weight in his chest lifting up into his throat and head. The tears said more than he could. After five years, he'd finally be seeing his big brother again. Kichiro didn't know how he'd feel when or if he'd actually see Sosei again. Part of him was filled with joy that he was alive and the Hokage intended for him to stay that way. Another part of him still held an oddly sad anger because Sosei had abandoned him when he needed him the most. His protector and confidant had left him alone.

Kichiro struggled to pull his tears back and put his mind back on the mission. Retrieving Sosei and bringing him back to Konoha against his will would prove extremely difficult, especially if he thought that they had been sent to kill him. Kichiro knew that Sosei held a special place in his heart for he and Setsuka but everyone else would receive his full wrath. It'd probably be up to him to confront his brother verbally to disarm him and see if he'd come back willingly. That would be the hard part.

Mirai's raised fist caused the team to stop and Kichiro instinctively activated his Sharingan. His sensei went to the ground and after a quick nod to Kataki and Setsuka, Kichiro followed her to the forest floor and into the underbrush. As Kichiro listened, something was clearly off.

"I don't hear anything," Setsuka said, her voice nearly inaudible. Kichiro shook his head and looked around. They hadn't reached the coordinates that the Hokage had reported was the latest sighting for Sosei. Mirai had stopped them early for some reason and the only reason that registered to Kichiro was that there had to be a trap.

Mirai made a hand sign and pressed her hand against the ground. Her eyes slowly widened. "There's two…"

An explosion shook the ground that Kichiro, causing trees to fall down and the earth to split. The Uchiha rolled away and Kataki dove with him. Kichiro quickly scanned the area. "Up in the trees," Kichiro whispered. Kataki nodded to him and his eyes shot to the right.

He drew the bow from his shoulder and knocked an arrow and drew back. Chakra flowed from his fingers into the arrow and when he loosed, the arrow sliced through the air and split the targeted tree in half. Kichiro darted forward instantly, charging chakra to the soles of his feet to move faster. He had the black cloaked figure in his sights as they fell. His fist balled as he prepared throw a punch.

Kichiro heard a click and he punched through air. Frowning, Kichiro immediately felt that the world around him was slightly off. He remembered sparring sessions with his father and Mirai, how they had taught him to pinpoint holes within a genjutsu with the power of his Sharingan. The blurry wavelengths of the atmosphere around him caught his eye and with the power of his eyes, he straightened them and broke through.

The first thing he heard was Kataki yelling as he fired another arrow in Kichiro's direction. The Uchiha barely had time to dodge as he quickly rose to his feet and raced to Kataki. When he was in range, he dispelled the genjutsu, just before Kataki could let loose another chakra arrow into his chest.

He grabbed Kataki by his shoulders and jumped away with him into the bushes. Kataki shook, almost violently and Kichiro stared into his eyes. "Snap out of it," he said quickly and quietly.

Kataki nodded and rose to his feet. "How many?"

"There's one we have to deal with right now." Kichiro's eyes traced through the trees. He thought he heard Mirai and Setsuka off in the distance fighting someone, but he knew not to trust his ears. His eyes were his greatest weapon and defense now. "They're using sound-based genjutsu. I think they're making clicking noises to initiate it."

"So, how do we deal with it?" Kataki asked. Kichiro shook his head, even though he did know a couple of rather extreme ways to disable his hearing, including bursting his eardrums. It could work but healing himself would be an issue, however, his mother could do it easily. If he wanted to avoid that wait, he could use a loud noise instead. The only issue Kichiro had now was, he had never fought without his hearing before. If he took this chance, his eyes would be his greatest weapon and defense.

"I have an idea. If you see them, fire," Kichiro said. Kataki gave him an odd look then nodded. In the trees, Kichiro could make out a figure garbed in black with a blank white mask looking down at them. In an instant, the figure was moving, zigzagging through the trees as he made his way down. Kichiro predicted the figure's movements and slid his feet backwards to plant himself into the ground. The figure may have thought he was moving too fast for Kichiro to perceive because he never strayed from his straightforward path. He was in for a rude awakening.

After quickly charging chakra to his fist, Kichiro stepped forward, using the momentum to drive his fist directly into the chest of the masked man. The shockwave sent a burst of wind through the air, shaking the trees around Kichiro. But the way the trees wiggled was unnatural. The masked figure had attempted another genjutsu, clicking behind his mask. Before he could finish the click, however, Kichiro saw one of Kataki's arrows land next to them. With a grimace, he looked up at the figure and could only imagine his horror when he noticed the arrow begin to shine.

The pain in Kichiro's ears trumped any pain he felt in his body as he slid across the ground and rolled into a tree. For brief moment, all he heard was ringing. Then, there was silence. Blood trickled from his mouth and the Uchiha could feel the pain in his side. Kichiro had to move quickly now. His Sharingan traced around the forest and quickly found the man in black on the ground, struggling himself to get up. Kichiro turned his head to where Kataki was and saw that he had his arrow at the ready. With a nod, Kichiro rose to his feet and ran towards the man. Chakra swirled around his hand before heating and igniting into a swirling blue flame. He threw himself at the man in black and slammed his fist down towards him.

Kichiro felt his fist slam into the earth and saw a spark of blue chakra explode. But the man in black was gone. Kichiro whipped his head around to where Kataki was and saw that something had swept him off of his feet. Again, the Uchiha looked around and saw absolutely nothing. Frowning, he ran over to Kataki to check on him. His friend laid on the ground, holding his head. A small gash bled on his temple and he had multiple other small cuts on his body. When Kichiro examined them further, they looked like they were cuts made by senbon needles. Very accurate cuts to tendons and paralyzing points. They were fixable, at the very least.

Green healing chakra formed in Kichiro's hand and he placed it to his ear, waiting a few seconds for his hearing to return to his right and then placed his hand to his left ear and was greeted by a flood of sound. Kataki's groaning at the pain. Setsuka's yelling through the trees. Another explosion that shook the forest. It was a mass of confusion.

"Fuck," Kataki said after Kichiro had healed his wounds. "I didn't even see what the hell hit me."

"Neither did I," Kichiro replied. "I was sure I had him. It couldn't have been one of his sound genjutsu."

Kataki sat up. "I'm telling you, something hit me and someone probably snatched him away. Either way, it's quiet now. Maybe they've made their escape..." Kichiro sighed and looked around. Who or what could have saved that man?

 _Could it have been…? No, there was no way that it could be Sosei._ Kichiro thought. His eyes traced around the ground, scanning the area until he paused and saw sandal prints. A separate pair from his own. They had only taken one step, next to where the man in black had been laying. Kichiro walked over towards them and knelt down to examine them. The footprints were a similar size to Kichiro's own, if maybe slightly bigger. A single strand of black hair laid in the footprint, long and straight. It was longer than Kichiro's and just as jet black. His Sharingan traced over it, seeing only specks of the chakra coloration of its former owner. Then, almost instantly, he recognized the color and his eyes widened.

"There's no way…?"

"Kichiro!" Kataki's voice raised over Kichiro's thoughts and he turned to him. Mirai was standing next to Kataki and her face looked grave. Initially, Kichiro thought that something had happened to Setsuka but there wasn't grief on her face. Just concern. "Come over here!"

Kichiro nodded and ran over towards them. He looked at their faces and frowned. Neither of them said anything. Mirai turned and dashed into the trees and Kichiro followed behind her with Kataki at his back. Mirai led them ahead, pushing deeper into the forest until saw a slight, unnatural break in the trees. Something must have chopped through the canopy. Kichiro's eyes traced down until he saw Setsuka's familiar brown hair kneeling over what seemed to be a body. The Uchiha saw a flash of black hair and his mouth dropped.

Thunder clapped in the sky above and rain slowly started to trickle down from the sky. Kichiro landed on the soggy ground next to Setsuka and carefully looked over the body that laid in front of them. He didn't know whether or not he was crying or if there was rain flowing down his cheek, but he knew he felt as though a hand was tightening around his heart.

The man that laid drowning in a pool of his own blood with pieces of wood protruding from his side was his brother, Sosei. With a few quick hand seals, Kichiro pulled the wood from the man's ribcage and chest and then immediately placed his healing hands over his brother's wounds. After nearly a minute of watching the cells regenerate, Kichiro saw Sosei's eyes slowly flutter open. The man looked around with hazy dark grey eyes at the people that surrounded him before finally landing on Kichiro again. His fingers twitched and his parched lips move slowly as he uttered a single word and passed out.

"Takuma…"


	7. Owl III

**CHAPTER VII**

SOSEI

 _Sosei's black porcelain owl mask and hooded cloak blocked the wave of rainwater that had begun to pour down from the dim night sky. He darted through the underbrush, tracking his target as best as he could with his Sharingan. He had considered it a miracle that he had been able to catch up with Tsuigeki and also understood that he was running headlong into a trap. A trap, he surmised, had to lead directly to Yashagoro. A trap that he was eager to spring._

 _"You just don't quit, do you?" Tsuigeki's voice carried over the rain. Instead of getting drawn into the sound of his voice, Sosei focused on the sound of the rain. The Uchiha took in a deep breath and expelled a fireball deep into the forest. The light of the flame illuminated the trees and Sosei saw Tsuigeki._

 _He darted towards the hooded figure and drew his sword. A kunai came to Tsuigeki's hand and he blocked the blade. Sosei imagined a smirk under the blank white mask._

 _"Persistent bastard…" Tsuigeki muttered._

 _Sosei sparked his sword with lightning and swung down, cutting through the knife and sending Tsuigeki to the ground. He saw Tsuigeki's mouth move but focused on the sound of the rain, instead of what he knew was one of his_ genjutsu _clicks. This time, Sosei smirked underneath his mask and he imagined that Tsuigeki's face had fallen._

 _The Chidori sparked in his hand, chirping loud enough to echo through the forest. The lightning trail caught pieces of tree and sliced through the falling rain as Sosei descended towards Tsuigeki. His Sharingan guided his hand as he aimed for Tsuigeki's heart._

 _Something hit Sosei so hard that it launched him far off of his trajectory and through the trunk of a tree, splitting it down the middle as he tumbled to the ground. Sosei's mouth gaped open as he gasped for air but nothing came in. He felt pieces of wood lodged in his ribs and his back as well as the warmth of his own blood dripping down his legs. The Uchiha rolled over and crawled from in between the split tree onto the forest floor. The rain cooled his hot flesh and he felt himself being able to breathe, despite the pain._

 _Wheezing, Sosei could only see through blurry eyes two pairs of feet in front of him. One belonged to Tsuigeki while the other belonged to a person Sosei didn't know. They had long black hair tied into a ponytail and the same cloak that Tsuigeki wore. The figure turned around and looked at Sosei's downed body and the Uchiha let out a silent gasp when he saw a pair of Sharingan staring back at him._

 _His mind flashed back to the destroyed laboratory that he and his father had traveled to in order to save Takuma. He remembered how every vessel containing a Sharingan had been broken and the eyes within stolen. He remembered Yashagoro had forced his father's hand and made him lose his composure. How if Yashagoro was somehow a reincarnation of Orochimaru, he possessed his lust and thirst for power and the key to that power lay in the Sharingan. And Yashagoro had stolen the Sharingan from the laboratory._

 _Prideful anger festered in Sosei's heart and he slowly pushed himself to his feet. The Chidori flashed in his hand and he staggered forward. Yashagoro turned to him, Sharingan eyes glowing behind the mask. Generating as much chakra as he could, Sosei charged forward, yelling._

 _Yashagoro disappeared and reappeared behind him, nearly too fast for Sosei's Sharingan to register his movement. Before Sosei could turn and strike with his Chidori, he felt the bones in his right arm crack. The Uchiha's eyes widened, looking down to see that Yashagoro had kicked his arm so quick and precise that it had snapped it instantly. Through the holes in Yashagoro's mask, Sosei could see and feel the cold aura of the Sharingan staring at him. Something about the appearance of the eyes seemed off though. They looked as if they were-_

 _ **BLACK.**_

Sosei felt the cool sensation of rain falling on his face and heard through a muffled filter the sound of voices talking around him. His eyes slowly flickered open, and blurry shapes came into focus. For a brief moment, he thought his father was hovering over him with a concerned look on his face but the visage was far younger and less hardened. And Sosei didn't remember his father knowing any healing jutsu. Blinking, Sosei came to a slow realization and he felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Kichiro…" he mouthed, the word straining against the dryness in his throat, leaving his mouth in silence. His little brother's Sharingan eyes shifted to him. The sclera were reddened as if he had been crying. Sosei's fingers twitched and he gulped. He felt his body giving out again. He had to say something else but only one word came to his mind. "Takuma…"

He heard Kichiro whisper, "Don't talk," before he passed out again.

Floating in between consciousness and death, Sosei dreamt of his life in Konoha with his family, maintaining the peace with his team and spending time with Kichiro, Hikari and Takuma. It was his life, albeit one twisted by his hopes and dreams rather than the reality that would await him when he awoke. The image burned in front of him in a blue flame that morphed into Yashagoro's pupils. All Sosei heard was the man's cackle, so loud and disturbing that Sosei could only cover his ears and yell to keep the sound out of his brain.

Sosei rose up out of his bed, wide-eyed and panting. He heard the sound of his heart monitor rapidly beeping before finally settling down as he took in his surroundings. It was night outside now and his room's dim light source came from the streets outside. Sosei activated his Sharingan and looked around the dark room, settling on a symbol that rest on the wall in front of him. It was the Konoha leaf. He frowned and started to get out of bed.

Then there was a knock on the door, followed by a soft creak as it opened.

"S-Soso…" The voice was different. Older and a fair bit more mature than Sosei remembered but he recognized it immediately and turned around. Standing in his room was Kichiro, tall and muscled underneath his short-sleeved shirt and Hikari, growing into a beautiful young girl despite the fact that her face was twisted and wet with tears. Sosei felt the tight anger in his chest loosen as his little sister ran over and hugged him.

Sosei pulled her close and enjoyed her embrace before resting his eyes on Kichiro. Hikari backed away slowly and looked from Sosei to Kichiro. Sosei ground his teeth.

"Why?"

Kichiro raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he repeated.

Sosei pointed around the room and then outside. "Why did you bring me back here?" His voice raised a little although he tried to maintain his cool, at least for Hikari's sake.

"You were going to die," Kichiro said, an odd absence of emotion in his voice. "I had to bring you back so someone could heal you."

"You were healing me. Before I passed out again, I saw you. Don't lie to me." Sosei thought to stand but shifting his weight to his legs caused more pain than he wanted to bear. Instead, he got back in his bed and stared out of the window, remembering Tsuigeki barely escaping and that mysterious figure with the odd-colored sclera and Sharingan. The only path he had to Yashagoro. "I was so close to finding him and you've thrown me off the trail. Why the hell did you bring me back here?"

"Because those were his orders." Another familiar voice, warm yet stern. The tall, blonde Naruto strode into the room with a light smile on his face. Sosei read it as confidence. "Nice to see you're awake, Sosei. It's been a while." The Uchiha nodded in agreement, never shifting his eyes away from his little brother. There was a certain look on his face that Sosei had trouble registering. It was sad, but angry as well. Something told Sosei that Kichiro had issues with him being back in Konoha as well but he had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the same reason he had.

Sosei sighed and laid back in his bed. With the Hokage in the room and his legs feeling weak, there was no way he was going to attempt to break his way out. "Just tell me what the hell you want," he said softly and gruffly.

Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head, before he folded his arms. "Some things don't change." Sosei detected those words as a reference to his father but ignored it. Naruto continued. "I understand that for the last five years, you've been tracking down Yashagoro and his group. Konoha intelligence has been doing the same and covering more ground, however I'm sure your knowledge of the underground workings will do well in combination with our own information."

"No," Sosei said flatly. Naruto's facial expression changed only slightly, his casual smile drooping to a flat line. He looked at Hikari and Kichiro.

"Could you two give Sosei and I a little privacy?" he asked. It was a polite order and Kichiro obeyed. Hikari followed after him, turning back to look at Sosei with wide, green eyes before the door closed behind her. Sosei heard Naruto sigh as he stepped closer to his bed. "I know it hasn't been hard for you since...you left. Takuma's death affected everyone in the village. And I know you feel that Yashagoro is responsible…"

 _Only partly._ Sosei thought darkly.

"But in order for us to find him and find out what it is he's been planning for all of these years, we need to work together."

Sosei raised his eyes to meet the Hokage's. "I was doing fine on my own. I was close and I had a lead before you threw me completely off his trail."

"Your wounds said otherwise," Naruto retorted. "I'll be straight with you. When you left Konoha, it was fully within my right as Hokage have you added as a criminal in the Bingo Book and send squad after squad of ANBU Black Ops to kill you. Instead, I understood why you felt you had to go. But you leaving has caused much more damage to those you love than anything Yashagoro has done."

Instinct and anger activated Sosei's Sharingan as he glared at the Hokage. What he was doing now may as well have been a threat to the commander-in-chief of the most powerful shinobi city on the planet but he was past caring. "What about what your friend has done to my family?" he spat. "Sasuke abandoned Takuma to die and left Kichiro in the hands of a child molester. You think I'd stay here living within any proximity of a man who only cares about family so long as they fit his perceived version of who they should be?" He turned his gaze away from Naruto. His body was shaking and the heart monitor was noisily echoing through the now silent room. "I didn't want to come back here. I wanted to find and kill Yashagoro and if I died in the process, so be it. At least Takuma would have been avenged."

The Hokage seemed to take this in for a brief moment and Sosei wondered if his burst of emotion had shocked him. Finally, Naruto nodded. "I figured it was something like that." He turned away and walked towards the door. "I won't force you to work with us, but I'll have you know that time is really precious here." He left the door cracked, letting a bit of light crawl towards Sosei's bed.

Sosei sighed and he leaned back on his pillows, mind racing before it suddenly paused. Aori. Where was Aori? He turned towards the door and thought to yell for Naruto to return but by now, he was sure that the man was well outside of earshot. The Uchiha clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. He could only hope that she was safe in Kiri.

Exhaustion eventually won out over his worry and Sosei found himself sleeping again. When he opened his eyes, the sun was shining through the blinds. The Uchiha raised a hand to block the rays from his eyes.

"You're awake again," Kichiro said. Sosei turned to see his younger brother reading a medical book next to his bed. His onyx eyes looked up to meet Sosei, again a mixture of sadness and anger.

"It appears so." Sosei sat up in the hospital bed and stared at the wall. He cut his eyes to Kichiro and saw his brother still staring back at him. "What are you staring at?"

"You. You look like shit."

Sosei chuckled. "Someone's gained a colorful little vocabulary."

"That's what five years as a shinobi will get you," Kichiro replied with a hint of gruff sarcasm. Sosei almost wanted to grin. His brother was a tough guy now.

"Well, you've gotten bigger. Almost didn't recognize you." It was a partial truth. Sosei just didn't want to admit that he had thought their father had come to save him. It was laughable.

Kichiro nodded absently and then sighed softly. "I didn't want to bring you back. I didn't want to come and find you at all." Sosei raised an eyebrow at his brother's words.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Kichiro frowned and looked up at him. There was a spark of anger in his eyes that took Sosei by surprise.

"You abandoned me and Hikari. When we needed you and your support the most, you left. I lost two of my brothers in the same week, Sosei. And after you said what you said at Takuma's grave, Mom and Dad weren't the same. They didn't talk to each other and when they did, it was always an argument. Dad would leave for weeks on missions or go to the Spot just to get out of the house. Eventually, they just decided to split apart."

Sosei gulped at the news and sighed softly. "Kichiro, I…"

"What? You're sorry? You have no idea what you leaving did to our family. Hikari needed you, brother. I needed you." Sosei fumbled in his mind with words to say only to come up with nothing at all. His attempt to apologize had been shot down and he felt anything else he'd try to say would be as well. The Uchiha let the silence sit for a while until Kichiro spoke again. "But when I did find you, I was relieved. Because it meant that you were alive and Dad was wrong about you."

Sosei frowned. "What do you mean?" Kichiro shook his head.

"He convinced the Hokage that you had a part to play in the attack on Kiri so we were sent to bring you back home for questioning, only to encounter the people who were really responsible," he said. There seemed to be something that he was holding back and despite his attempts to hide his emotions, Sosei could read his little brother plainly.

"You believed that too, didn't you?" he asked.

"Only a little," Kichiro admitted. "There was an attack on a small village outside of Konoha and one of the victims said that the lead attacker had eyes like mine."

"The Sharingan." Sosei nodded to himself. In his rage at the time, he had thought that the person was Yashagoro but in retrospect, he hadn't felt the same cold chakra he usually did from the man. Besides, if Yashagoro had acquired the Sharingan, he wouldn't have missed the opportunity to taunt Sosei with that fact. "Whoever that person is, they're the ones that left me impaled on a tree, bleeding in the woods." There was something about their Sharingan eyes as well. The odd-colored sclera had seemed decayed, but Sosei couldn't put a finger on why that was.

"I fought someone with the Sharingan in the forest before we found you," Kichiro said. Sosei looked over at his brother and saw him staring at the ground. His shoulders were shaking as if he were trying to keep himself from crying. "I managed to cut a bit of their hair from one of my attacks and when I looked at it, it was jet black." Sosei immediately thought that the information confirmed it was Yashagoro but the way Kichiro looked up at him now, he knew he was wrong.

"What are you saying?"

Kichiro wiped his eyes. "When I looked over it with my Sharingan, the color of the chakra signature in the hair…" he paused and shook his head. "It...it matched Takuma's."

The room seemed to freeze and Sosei's breath was caught in his throat. He wanted to say something, to laugh off Kichiro's words as crazy suspicion but something about them rung oddly true to his ears. Then his mind flashed back to the color of the person's sclera. Black and decayed. Sosei's eyes widened. He had heard of a long-since forbidden jutsu from the Fourth Shinobi World War that had brought back the dead to wage war against the living. He stared at Kichiro.

"But how? We watched Takuma's body get burned on the pyre. If what you're saying is true, whoever brought Takuma back would have needed to have a significant part of his DNA to bring him back and there was nothing left of him except ashes," Sosei said.

"I don't know. But I do know what I saw. I'll never forget the color of Takuma's chakra. It was him." Sosei didn't bother to debate Kichiro. His younger brother had spent more time with Takuma than he had. But something, besides the fact that one of his brothers was possibly an undead puppet just wasn't sitting right to him.

There was only one person on the planet that he knew was evil enough to even attempt to perform the ritual necessary to bring back Takuma and Sosei knew that the only reason Takuma could've been brought back was simply to torture them. This undead though was much taller and stronger than Takuma had been when he died. For a brief moment, Sosei thought that perhaps, another Uchiha had been dug up and brought back but he and his family were the only ones on the planet with any viable DNA still remaining, the others being either dead and buried or spirits that evaporated into the next life.

Sosei raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed softly. There had to be someone that could help them but at this point, it was too sensitive a topic to bring into the open. Perhaps, if he cooperated with the Hokage, he could find the answers he sought and then he and Kichiro could discover whether the undead shinobi was Takuma after all.

The Uchiha looked to his younger brother and dipped his head. "Let someone know that I want to see the Hokage," he said. "I've made my decision."


	8. Hawk I

**CHAPTER VIII**

SASUKE

"He refused," Naruto said, sighing as he sat behind his desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Sasuke stood in the corner, his black cape hiding all below his neck but his legs. He looked away, staring out over the village.

"I told you that he would," he replied evenly. Stubbornness was a trait that all of his children possessed, none more so than Sosei. Sasuke also suspected that he wasn't too thrilled to be back in Konoha. "How long do you want to wait?"

Naruto shrugged. "At this point, we're in a terrible position. We have enough intel to guess what Yashagoro is up to and where he may be headed but if we move too soon, we could rush into a trap. If we wait, well…"

Nodding, Sasuke turned from the window to look at his friend. "He needs to cooperate, whether he does it willingly or not." The Uchiha lord tapped the hilt of his sword and stared at Naruto. "Let me talk to him."

Staring back, the Hokage then shook his head. "Using genjutsu to influence him to talk isn't going to give us the results we need. Besides, that's just going to ruin things before you even attempt to repair them." Sasuke scoffed internally. He couldn't find it within himself to car. The intel they needed was more important than trying to reconcile a relationship with an angry child. Killing Yashagoro was far more pressing. However, Sasuke wouldn't go against the Hokage's word.

"Then what do you suggest, Naruto? We can't afford to sit on our hands and let whatever plan Yashagoro has come to fruition. We need to act. Now," Sasuke said. Naruto sighed and nodded, dipping his head in thought. He raised his head slowly, frowning.

"If I let you talk to him, do you think you can convince him that we need his cooperation?" Naruto asked. Sasuke was positive that he could. But, he knew Naruto's real question.

"Could I reestablish a bond with him and make peace?" The Uchiha gave his friend a cold, stubborn look. "No."

Naruto sighed. "Then we're screwed."

There was a puff of smoke in the middle of the room and Sasuke stared at it suspiciously before it settled, revealing the familiar figure of his old sensei, Kakashi Hatake. The older man gave a casual wave and smile. "Perhaps you aren't." Naruto smiled and Sasuke gave only a fraction of a nod.

"Kakashi-sensei, good to see you," Naruto said.

"It's good to be seen," Kakashi replied. "On the topic of Sosei and tracking down Yashagoro, I do have good news. He's decided to contribute whatever intelligence he has to you."

Naruto looked to Sasuke then back to Kakashi. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Naruto spoke his thoughts. "That's great, but why the sudden change? I'm guessing there's a condition?"

"Well, yes. Sosei wants to be included on the mission to confront Yashagoro. He wouldn't reveal why but…"

"It probably has little to do with simply stopping him," Naruto finished. Kakashi nodded then looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha met his eyes.

"Would you have any insight?" he asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sasuke replied. Probably better. It was a bit odd for him to feel this lost in a conversation about one of his children when he had prided himself on knowing all of them so well and maintaining that private bond. Even with Sosei. To be so separate from him and Kichiro triggered something in Sasuke's brain. Perhaps it was regret or sadness, but his pride didn't let him acknowledge the thought.

"I doubt that," Kakashi said. "Perhaps there's some answers he was close to that he didn't get to before we brought him back. Either way, I believe that allowing him to join the squads is a good idea. His strength is considerable for him to have survived the wounds he suffered as long as he did without a medic and he has extensive knowledge of Yashagoro and his agents' abilities that we don't have."

Naruto seemed to consider Kakashi's words. "You're right. And if what Yashagoro's intending to do is just a diversion for attack on Konoha, we'll need to hold most of our shinobi back."

"Then who goes?" the silver-haired man, leaning against a wall. He looked visibly tired and Sasuke often forgot that his former sensei was an older man now, not the young jonin he once was. Sasuke almost suggested that Kakashi go since he and Sosei had rapport but if this should be a feint, someone should be left in Konoha to defend it. That could either be him or Naruto. The Hokage's flexibility allowed for him to leave a clone in his place and should an emergency arise, he could use the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport back and deal with it. But, if the Hokage has to leave the battlefield, he could risk losing the exchange. If Sasuke stayed behind, it'd give the Hokage freedom to ensure Yashagoro's capture or death for all Sasuke cared.

"If Naruto goes, he can make sure that whatever team he takes is protected. Yashagoro shouldn't be stupid enough to attack the village but should he be that bold, I'll remain behind," Sasuke said.

"And you won't be alone," Kakashi said with a nod. "I may be old but…"

Naruto raised his hand and grinned. "Finally accepting your old age, huh?" Kakashi simply smiled and Sasuke felt uncomfortable. Naruto seemed to sense it and moved on, saying, "So now, I pick my team, I guess." He rested his head on his hands, seemingly in thought. He then raised his head. "Mirai's team and your old team, Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "My team?" he asked incredulously. "Why…"

"Shōgo is the greatest tactical mind of his generation and brute force alone won't get Yashagoro as we both know. Honami offers a almost 360 degree field of vision and with her…"

"I know their abilities," Sasuke snapped. "Why them?" He hadn't intended to sound so emotional, so angry but it had burst from him almost violently. He took a breath and closed his eyes, recovering the frosty shell he had.

"Then you know they're skilled enough to handle this mission. You trained them to chunin level, they've participated and succeeded in multiple missions since then. I know the risk but all of them are the only ones to have faced someone in the Three Deaths before. And I'm going with them," Naruto said, sternly. Sasuke frowned but swallowed his pride and dipped his head.

Kakashi observed the exchange quietly then said, "That leaves a spot open if you want to have two teams of four. I'm assuming the eighth will be Sosei."

Naruto nodded. "He's the obvious choice. We can get him fully healed and up by the time we're ready to go. The village needs to prepare and be on guard. I don't want a repeat of Pain or Yashin."

"I'll oversee preparations personally," Sasuke said. He had some experience commanding, but never a defense. If Naruto could assemble a force for him to work with, he could have the city well-defended, not besides the fact that he was arguably the most powerful man walking the world behind the Hokage. Konoha would be safe with him here, whether alone or supported.

"That'll be a lot for you," Naruto replied. "Acting as my shadow means these duties don't belong to you." The blonde man turned to Kakashi. "The responsibility of assigning shinobi to their tasks will fall to you, Kakashi-sensei." The older man looked from Naruto to Sasuke then dipped his head.

"I'll do my best," he said.

Naruto gave a small smile. "Then everything will be fine." With a wave, he dismissed their former sensei. Kakashi put a hand in his pocket and saluted with his other before he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto then turned his blue eyes to Sasuke. The Uchiha was irritated and wore it plainly on his face. "You don't agree with my decision?"

"I just want to know why...for all of this," he asked in an icy tone.

"Because, I know you well enough to know that your mind is off in another world. With everything that's happening with Sakura…"

"I get it," Sasuke said. "but I am dedicated to protecting Konoha."

"Nobody doubts that or you, I just…" Naruto sighed. "I can't stand to watch you two split. She loves you. Always has. And I've watched you grow and learn how to express love, even if it is your own way. But, ever since Takuma died, things have just been so…"

"I know," Sasuke said.

"I just need you not to forgive yourself." Naruto's blue eyes seemed to look through as they always had and Sasuke turned away. He remembered how snowy the day had been when he and Sosei had returned to Konoha, having failed to find any replacement eyes for Takuma. He remembered the hospital being quartered off and how he had to use his Rinnegan to get past the guards. He remembered how Takuma had been laid on the ground with his head split open and his blood stretched across the snow like a scarlet hand reaching out for his father. He remembered how he had tried to find every reason not to take the blame until Sosei in his anger and reminded him how he failed his son.

"I can't," Sasuke said. He left the Hokage's presence and transported himself to the hospital. He walked up the stairs to Sosei's room and paused outside his door, listening. All he heard was the monitor beeping slowly and steadily. The Uchiha looked into the room and saw Sosei asleep, looking far more at peace than Sasuke had ever seen. He stood there for a few moments longer before turning away.

Sakura stood behind him, frozen as a deer hiding from a tiger. She visibly gulped when Sasuke's eyes went to hers. Sasuke searched his brain for something to say but when he found nothing, he just stood there.

"I...I need to get in the room," she said. Sasuke noticed the pills and vitamins in her hand.

Nodding, he moved out of the way. When his wife walked past, he smelled the cherry blossom and vanilla scent of her hair. He watched her briefly then disappeared again and let himself be led back home to his estate. His home was dark, cold and quiet when he arrived just as it had been when he left.

Sasuke stripped off his cape and his shirt, leaving his sword by the table as he went to his refrigerator and pulled salmon from the bottom shelf. After retrieving rice and some seasoning from the cabinet, he scooped some miso and put in a pot before he sparked the fire and began to melt it. Once it was in liquid form, he sprinkled sugar and poured some honey into it and mixed it before he could smell the sweet and salty savor. Finally, he filleted the salmon neatly and precisely before dropping it in the sauce and letting it cook. Sasuke heated up a small pot of water and dropped rice shaped into a square into it and let it boil.

As he sat waiting for his food to finish, the Uchiha let his mind wander. Briefly, he saw his family. Not simply Sakura and the children, but his brother Itachi and Izumi, the girl he had had to sacrifice in order to keep the village from war with their children as well as his parents, old and grey, but happy. He saw his clan, still strong and together, supporting the village and the Hokage. Everything he had wanted and imagined then slowly in front of him. His parents died. Izumi died and then Itachi, by his own hand. His family began to walk away with Sakura and Hikari going to one side, Kichiro to the other and Sosei fading into the distance.

The only one who stood in front of Sasuke was Takuma, crying tears of blood and reaching out for him. Sasuke couldn't lift his arms to get him and stared frozen as his son's head split in front of his eyes.

Sasuke smelled his food beginning to burn and rushed to his feet to turn the fire off. His mouth twisted in frustration when saw that his salmon had been slightly charred and his rice, hard. Nevertheless, he had gone through the effort of making the meal so he prepared a plate and sat down with chopsticks to eat. He picked through it and found that it tasted fine though not as good as Sakura's.

He continued eating his food until his plate was clean and he was full. Dutifully, he washed his dishes and put them away before he poured himself a drink and went to his back deck and watched the sunset. The orange glow of the sun falling below the horizon shined over Sasuke and the lake. As his glass hung in his hand, he again saw Takuma, bloodied and standing at the edge of the water. His son. Dead because of his negligence and his failures.

Finally alone, Sasuke allowed the guilt and shame to rise from his chest then wash over him in a wave. As the sun faded, so did the phantom of Takuma that he imagined and the squeeze on his heart intensified.

Sasuke wept.


	9. Blossom II

**A/N: Who doesn't love quick updates?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER** **IX**

Hikari

"An armed enemy could breach this building, in which case all students are required to enter the closet and remain silent, no matter what they see or hear. All the instructors in the building will handle the situation and we will return to you once it is handled. However, be wary of transformation jutsu, understood?" Hikari's instructor said. The class looked around at each other and the anxiety was palpable. Her instructor must've sensed it as well because he spoke again. "These are simply precautionary instructions. Nothing should happen but if it does, we will be protected. All right?"

There were small murmurs and sighs. Hikari stayed silently, looking around the room with her bright eyes taking in everyone's reaction. They all seemed nervous, even the most haughty among them was shaking. The only person who wasn't was Tetsuya. His expression was as bored and lazy as it had always been, uninterested in any of the things that had been said. Hikari hadn't expected more from him given his personality but this cool, uninterested reaction was peculiar. There was something about him that felt off to her.

The instructor continued on with lessons, mostly to do with stealth and ambush tactics which Hikari presumed was information that would be needed should the worst occur. Her father had given her similar instructions years ago and she knew how to traverse the shadows like a panther, using her Sharingan like night vision lenses.

She wondered what he was doing now in preparation for the invasion her instructor was speaking of. She imagined he was working with the Hokage getting defenses together or, knowing him, he was planning the counteroffensive to reach the enemy before they got to Konoha. She wondered if he was nervous. It'd be a strange thing to see her father worried.

Her mother was probably also busy running around the hospital, making sure that everyone had the supplies they needed and that everyone that could be brought in was in place just in case there were injured civilians. Perhaps she'd be out on the field as well, fighting alongside Sasuke. Probably not, Hikari realized. She hadn't seen her father and mother interact in several months. Fighting together required some kind of connection, she felt. Or at least that's what her instructor said about teamwork.

Hikari sighed softly and began doodling in her notebook, ugly caricatures of her family together and playing. She drew another, this time more complete shapes that she put time into until finally she had drawn a portrait of her family at a dinner table, enjoying each other's company and her mother's cooking. That's what made Hikari sad. She missed hearing Sosei crack a joke that made Takuma blush and Kichiro snicker while their parents exchanged glances. She smiled remembering Takuma's sweet voice.

She felt the tear crawl down her cheek and she wiped it away before it could fall on her picture. After sliding it carefully into her folder, she gave it one more look before she closed it and put it into her bag. A fiery sensation touched the back of her neck and she turned to see Tetsuya staring at her before he averted his eyes and looked back out of the window. Hikari frowned and turned back to the front.

Why were boys so weird, especially this one.

She paid attention a little longer as her instructor went over remedial stealth once again and finally handed out a pop quiz about what he had said. Hikari answered every question and took her quiz to the front of the room to her instructor who looked less than surprised that she had finished so early. He quickly looked it over then stamped that she had received a perfect score. Hikari smirked and went back to her seat, waiting for everyone else to be finished.

After everyone had finished and the papers were graded, Hikari's instructor stood in front of the class and nodded happily. The only score that wasn't on the level of everyone else was Tetsuya.

When asked if he had even bothered to pay attention, Tetsuya said, "I did, just kind of spaced out during the test. I apologize." When the instructor said that there'd be no retests, Tetsuya shrugged and Hikari narrowed her eyes. Not only was this boy a bit of a weirdo, he was completely uninterested in school or intimidated by the prospect of failing. Did his parents care at all about his grades and how he was doing in class? Did he have parents at all?

That thought hit Hikari squarely in her chest and she looked back up at Tetsuya, searching for Amy semblance of loneliness or pain on his face but she saw nothing there. Just a blank slate. That made her even more curious about what his motivation was. Why was he in the Academy if not to become an at least serviceable shinobi?

When class was over, Tetsuya was the first to disappear out of the room, slithering through the crowds like a serpent. To Hikari, it looked like he actually had paid attention in class when it came to lessons about stealth. The young Uchiha girl followed him down the steps and out of the building into the sea of children and instructors that mixed into the hustle and bustle of Konoha's citizens rushing to prepare for whatever imminent attack there was.

Hikari's eyes darted around searching the streets for Tetsuya, before she found his spiky brown hair and yellow and blue hoodie he wore today. She followed him from afar, occasionally shifting behind an adult when she thought Tetsuya was about to turn in her direction. It was like a silent game of hide and seek and Hikari enjoyed it. It reminded her of watching Kichiro and Takuma play when their father would take them for sweets.

She lost view of Tetsuya when she moved from one adult to another. Sucking her teeth, Hikari tried to catch a glimpse of his yellow hoodie or his hair but saw nothing.

In a blink, her Sharingan was activated and she saw a mass of colors. Chakra, she realized. She could see it everywhere, in shapes and colors. Everyone had their own distinct signature and Hikari saw that the trail she had been directly following was linked to an old man, walking faster than. Someone his age should be.

He knows I'm following him… Hikari thought. When being tailed, her father had taught that basic shinobi techniques could be beneficial as a diversion, from transformations to substitutions. Tetsuya was skilled in that regard at least but he couldn't lose Hikari. However, she could pretend that he had. She intentionally walked off of his trail, deactivating her Sharingan as she passed by him. When she was lost in the crowd, she waited a few moments before catching up, her scarlet eyes scanning the trail before it became cold. She picked it up easy enough, following it through an alleyway before the trail suddenly led upward to the roof.

Tetsuya was working hard to lose her and Hikari's interest was further piqued. She avoided the obvious ploy to follow the rooftops and stuck to the shadows of the alley. She saw flecks of the chakra traveling through the air and took the alleyway paths until she reached another main street. She peeked around the corner and saw the trail leading to another transformed appearance for Tetsuya, this time a woman with brown hair. He walked down the street before unlocking the door to a house and entering. Hikari smirked. She had him.

Slowly, the girl stalked towards the house, darting around corners and avoiding people until she got to the side of the house and ducked beneath the windows. She inched up slowly to peek, only to see nothing but dark blinds. Annoyed, Hikari looked to the top of the house and sighed softly. With a jump, she cleared two stories and landed deftly onto the roof and crept along slowly and quietly. The building had a skylight that looked newly remodeled and Hikari stared through it.

She saw Tetsuya shift from his woman transformation back to his regular form and she saw two adults walk up to him. Hikari wanted desperately to know what was being said. She peered over the edge of the roof and saw a balcony with open. Her curiosity took over and in a brief moment of impulse, she dropped from the roof to the balcony and slunk through the open glass doors. She did the best she could not to move or make a sound once she entered the house, and although the voices were muffled, Hikari could make out something being said downstairs.

"So what did you learn?" a deep male voice asked.

"They think that an invasion is coming so in class, my instructor went over a few ways we'd avoid getting killed if the school was attacked. Hiding in the closet, letting the instructors handle it and so on," Tetsuya replied. He sounded different, Hikari noted. More mature. It made Hikari weird. Something about the exchange felt off.

"Do you think they suspect anything?" The male voice asked. This time, a female voice answered.

"Not from what I've gathered, but we should still be on alert. Things could change drastically in the coming days."

"I'll make my report so that everything goes into motion properly," the male voice said. Hikari blinked. She assumed that this was Tetsuya's father speaking. Who was he intending to report to?

Before Hikari could register the thought, she felt a hand grab her.

Hikari felt a brief moment of panic then paused and activated her Sharingan. She elbowed her assailant in the ribs and kicked back at their knee. She felt them buckle under the sudden ferocity of her attack and she rolled away, throwing her jacket over her head to hide her hair if it hadn't already been seen. When she turned and locked her eyes on the person that had attacked her, she saw Tetsuya.

He sucked his teeth. "I thought I lost you," he said.

Hikari shook her head and slowly started backing away. They know I'm here, Hikari realized. They're going to kill me. It was a thought she didn't think she'd have so soon in her life but when it came, she reacted quickly. Before Tetsuya could approach again, she dove from the balcony, flipping backwards and grabbing a clothesline on the way down. It burned her hands and Hikari thought she was bleeding. Nevertheless, she ran. As fast and as far as she could.

She didn't turn back to see if Tetsuya or his parents were following her or if anyone was watching her. Her Sharingan gave her a path through the crowd and she took it, tears streaming from her face in fear. There was only one place that she knew she'd be safe.

Konoha Medical loomed overhead and Hikari raced inside its doors. Her feet led her upstairs to Sosei's room and she paused on her heels to knock on his door before she entered. Sosei leaned up in his bed and Hikari paused.

The Hokage was in his room too. "Oh, Hikari?" His tone was a mixture of genuine happiness to see her as well as confusion.

"Are you okay?" Sosei asked, a distinct edge in his voice.

Hikari's eyes darted from him to Sosei and back. The Hokage and her big brother both looked concerned. Then she realized why. Her Sharingan was still active and her hands were bloodied from the clothesline. The Hokage walked over to her and held her hand.

"This may be a bit hot but I need you to be strong, ok?" Hikari nodded and looked down as the Hokage's hand began to glow with golden-orange chakra. True to his word, the Hokage's chakra was hot and Hikari did wince but when the Hokage lifted his hand, her wound was gone. Blinking, she deactivated her eyes and looked up at them. Sosei still looked surprised.

"Since when could you do that?"

Hikari gulped then shrugged. "I don't know, since I was seven," she said.

"Seven?" Sosei smirked. "Maybe I'm not the genius of the bunch then." That made Hikari smile and blush. The Hokage chuckled softly then nodded.

"While we're on the topic of complimenting you, I've been keeping track of the scores in the Academy and I've got to say that I'm impressed. Your scores are on par with your uncle, Itachi. Second highest in the village's history. I wasn't much of a student and I became Hokage so I'd say that you're well on your way," he said, with a wide grin and a thumbs up. Hikari giggled. The Hokage knelt down in front of Hikari. "Sosei and I were talking about some sensitive information so I did need this room clear. However, you ran all this way and had your Sharingan activated for a reason. What happened?"

Hikari took in a deep breath, suddenly realizing that explaining the full story could get her in trouble. Still…

"I...followed one of my classmates home because, well because I wanted to know if his parents cared about him not paying attention in class and getting bad grades. But when I got in his house, I—"

"Wait," Sosei said. "In his house?"

Hikari dipped her head and nodded. "Yes." She looked up and saw Sosei scowling at her but the Hokage gave him a knowing glance that gave him pause.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I heard his parents ask him about what he learned in school, like, our procedures in case of an invasion. Then I heard his father say that he was going to report to someone so that things could move forward," she said. Sosei narrowed his eyes and the Hokage nodded.

"I see," he said. "What's your classmate's name?"

Hikari gulped. "Tetsuya Senpuku."

"Okay, well don't worry about that. I'll handle it," the Hokage responded, never losing an amiable smile that made Hikari feel warm and welcome as if she were family. Hikari smiled at him and the Hokage turned to Sosei. "I'll give you extra details tomorrow," he said. In an yellow-orange flash, he disappeared.

Alone with her big brother, Hikari broke her little shell and let Dakko-chan show. She ran to Sosei's bedside and grabbed him in a hug. When she let go, she looked up at him and smiled.

"You look better," she said. Sosei dipped his head, his lips curled in a slight smirk.

"Yeah, Sakura was here earlier and finished healing me. Gave me a few pills and vitamins to take. I just need to get up and stretch my legs," Sosei said. He leaned forward and grabbed a pair of pants on the table before bringing them under the sheets and putting them on. Hikari diverted her eyes until Sosei stood up. "You wanna walk with me?"

The two left Sosei's hospital room and traversed the halls. Sosei was strong though he said that his legs felt weak and Sakura told him that the full power of the vitamins and pills would set in in about twenty-four hours. Hikari saw the medical staff rushing around, from room to room, getting things together. A similar rush had occurred when Yashin's forces had invaded and they had been flooding out of the hospital onto the streets to get civilians to the hospital and heal the injured.

"They're getting prepared for an invasion," Sosei said, looking down at Hikari.

"I know," she said. "We talked about it in school today and went over preparations."

"Are you scared?"

Hikari paused and nodded slowly. "A little bit, I guess." She then looked up at her brother. "Do you really think there's going to be an invasion?"

"I'm going on a mission to keep that from happening. That's what Naruto was talking to me about," Sosei said. Hikari's eyes widened and Sosei winked at her. "The mission itself isn't a secret, just the reason behind it. But, keep it to yourself, ok? I don't want anyone to panic."

"Okay…" Hikari said. "Are you coming back?" They rounded the hallway and case back to Sosei's room. Hikari's brother sat on his bed then nodded and smiled.

"I will. You have my word, Dakko-chan," he said. Hikari grabbed Sosei and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shirt as she felt tears start to flow down her cheeks.

"Please, So-So...don't die."


	10. Butterfly IV

**CHAPTER** **X**

Kichiro

When they left Konoha, fog hung heavy in the air, a soft silver blanket clinging to the buildings and the trees. Light barely penetrated through the mist and with his natural eyes, Kichiro has trouble seeing further than a few meters. If it had been possible to wait out this bad weather, Kichiro would've taken it but he wasn't commanding, the Hokage was.

There were eight of them, Team Mirai led by the eponymous Mirai Sarutobi and consisting of Kataki, Setsuka and Kichiro himself and his father's old team led by Naruto with his daughter Honami Uzumaki, Shōgo Kazuma and Sosei making up the rest. There were a lot of them, Kichiro thought. Two three man cells and two squad leaders in technical terms although in actuality, there were seven of them with Naruto leading.

Kichiro didn't mind. He had longed for the opportunity to fight alongside or against Naruto when he was a boy. Now, that dream had come true, though he wished that it was under less stressful circumstances.

Naruto was almost entirely convinced that they were heading into a trap and had made everyone plan as such. Shōgo, the orange-haired boy that had been Takuma's old teammate and the closest thing to a best friend he had in life, had given everyone their directives based on the information he received from Sosei on the abilities of the Three Deaths. Kichiro knew his role but he dreaded it and felt fear eat away at him. But fear wouldn't solve a thing.

Naruto led them as they traveled in a V-shaped formation like a flock of birds with the only exception being Honami was directly him, her Byakugan active and providing a complete view of the foggy forest as they traveled deeper into it.

Across from him, Kichiro saw Sosei. He was dressed differently now, his tattered black vagabond garb replaced by a black shirt with one long sleeve, trousers and a waist guard. There was a white band wrapped around his forehead that kept his bangs from dropping in front of his eyes. He looked more like their father now.

Sosei threw him a quick glance and nodded. Kichiro nodded back and looked ahead as the group started to slow. They stopped, huddled in a circle on the forest floor. The Hokage closed his eyes and when he opened them, Kichiro saw the cross pupils. With a deep breath, the Hokage spoke softly.

"There's four of them," he said. "Yashagoro is among them, that much I know. I can feel his icy chakra and the malice in his heart. And, something else..." Kichiro watched his eyes pass over everyone. "We all know what our directives are and the plan proceeds with or without me. If Konoha is endangered, I'll have to return. You all are the next generation that hold the Will of Fire and I couldn't be prouder to see you all shine." Naruto stood and placed a hand over his chest. "Now, let's go."

As they headed out again, Kichiro expected the forest to fade into dry open plains and soon desert as it was on the map. However, the further they traveled, the larger and thicker the forest seemed to grow.

"This is bad," Honami said, causing a few people to look at her. "I can see chakra pulsating through the trees and roots like an entire chakra network beneath the ground."

Sosei scowled. "The tree," he said, looking to Naruto. "Is it possible that he could reproduce the seeds of the God Tree?"

"No, it shouldn't," Naruto said, jumping ahead. "A fruit only sprouts if _all_ of the world's chakra is absorbed by the tree. The world's God Tree seed just fell from the sky one day."

"Could the same thing have happened again?" Shōgo asked. Naruto paused then nodded.

"Under very specific circumstances, but it should be impossible. Unless we have no real idea who we're dealing with," he said. Kichiro furrowed his brow and sighed. What were they truly walking into?

"Kichiro," Setsuka said. The Uchiha looked up.

"Yeah?"

"Everything is going to be fine," she said, smiling. "We outnumber them two to one and we have the Hokage with us."

 _But he'll leave us if the village is threatened by something bigger_ , Kichiro thought. _What then?_

While he had full confidence in their ability to hold their own based on Shōgo's plan but to go beyond that, to actually succeed in killing or capturing Yashagoro, they needed Naruto. If Yashagoro was intelligent enough to draw the Hokage away from the village with a small squad then force him to abandon them to save his home and people…

Kichiro had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had no idea how to shake. When he looked at Kataki, he felt his heart sink. If this mission was as suicidal as he felt, maybe he should tell him how he actually felt.

He had wrestled with these feelings since he was a child and on the same team as Kataki. He had thought early on that it had been little more than admiration for his friend's skill and strength but slowly his admiration shifted from Kataki's fighting prowess to his personality and appearance. He wanted to be around Kataki all of the time and hear his voice and laugh. When he had attempted to talk to his father about it, Sasuke had been cold and rigid in his response, prioritizing the advancement and growth of the Uchiha clan over who Kichiro felt he was attracted to. He hadn't been comfortable in the same space as his father since.

Telling Kataki this might yield even worse results. From all that Kichiro had seen, Kataki was interested in Setsuka and the two were together all of the time when Kichiro found himself preferring the solace of his own company. Perhaps they were in a relationship themselves and it would be pointless for him to even try to tell Kataki how he felt about him.

The Uchiha boy filed those emotions and feelings away. He was a shinobi first and he had a mission to accomplish, even if it meant sacrificing himself to get it done.

As they cleared the thickest parts of the forest and it cleared to a large, dry field, Naruto called for the team to stop again. It was dry now, with blades of grass sprouting up brown and thin where they were growing. In the center of the field, the stump of the old God Tree rested, its roots spreading far to the coast. Kichiro looked at Naruto and saw his face fall.

"No," he whispered. In the distance, Kichiro saw four people standing in the shadow of the God Tree, weaving hand seals. A red glow began to emit from the roots. Gritting his teeth, Naruto activated his golden chakra cloak and Kichiro saw him disappear across the field. Before he could even shout for Naruto to stop, there was a massive explosion that blew everyone back.

Kichiro rolled until he was next to Sosei and jumped to his feet. He narrowed his eyes trying to see what was happening and made out Yashagoro holding Naruto's fist with his other hand pressing against the Hokage's stomach. His golden aura faded and the Hokage slumped to the ground before he was suddenly wrapped in paper with multiple special tags, reading, "Suppress".

"How did he…?" Kichiro asked.

"A Chakra Suppression and Chakra Drain enhanced by the glove he's wearing," Sosei said, shaking angrily. "He drew Naruto in. He was _planning_ on him showing up."

"Him and Dad," Kichiro said. He wondered what plans and traps he had set for his father. Whatever it was, if it was as powerful and potent as the jutsu he had just used on the Hokage. _We're fucked._

Yashagoro and his companions walked forward, including the masked figure with the Sharingan. Even from this far away, Kichiro could feel Takuma's energy. What evil, demonic, twisted version of his brother was this?

As they approached, Sosei nodded to them all and the Konoha shinobi encircled them. Kichiro felt his heart pound in his chest as he finally saw the infamous Yashagoro, tall, pale with long black hair that rested neatly on his shoulders and down his back. And bright blue eyes. Unnaturally blue.

"Your precious Hokage is finished," he said icily.

Sosei simmered. "Do you think that we're just going to let you go without drawing blood?"

"You will share his fate, whether you choose to fight on this day, at this moment or choose to retreat. I give you that opportunity now, return to your home, embrace your families for the last time and eat your last meal. Because tomorrow, I reshape the world in my image."

"Whatever god complex you're suffering from, you won't leave here with the Hokage," Kataki shouted.

"Kataki!" Mirai said sternly. Yashagoro chuckled and a man with a plain white mask spoke up.

"You're not even strong enough to speak here, kid. Shut your mouth," he said. Kichiro saw Kataki grow angry and draw his bow, nocking a chakra arrow into the string. The woman and the hooded shinobi with the Sharingan were silent. When Kichiro looked closely at the woman, he saw that she looked as if she was rotting away and she had black sclera. When he looked at the hooded man, he tried to see if he too had black sclera. If he did…

Beside him, he heard Sosei mutter, "Fuck this." In his hand, a Chidori sparked brightly and he raced towards Yashagoro. Time seemed to slow around him and Kichiro saw Sosei's hand draw back and burst forward in a quick jab. Time returned to normal and Kichiro's eyes widened.

The Chidori crackled in his hand, a cacophony of birds chirping. Yashagoro stood frozen, his heart in Sosei's hand. He pulled his hand back and Yashagoro fell to the ground, still as a rock. There was a brief moment of pause.

Then hell broke loose.

Kataki fired an arrow at the white masked shinobi and Honami darted towards him, her hands moving like a hot knife through butter. Setsuka jumped to the decayed woman and Mirai followed behind her. Sosei and Shōgo turned on the hooded shinobi as he sucked in air and unleashed a fireball. Kichiro was caught in the middle, frozen.

He rushed to Kataki's side and charged chakra to his fists before he punched the ground, causing the earth to crack beneath his fists and the white-masked shinobi moved quickly out of the way to avoid the destroyed ground. Kichiro remembered his ability to create genjutsu using clicks with his mouth and watched him with his Sharingan. Around him, he heard explosions and grunts of effort as Mirai and Setsuka double-teamed the decaying woman.

Setsuka raised her giant sword over her head and slammed it down, barely missing the woman who flipped away right into Mirai's chakra blades. She ducked underneath them and the blue tinged blades hummed over her head. When the decayed woman flipped away, she found herself in the path of one of Honami's Gentle Fist attacks. She was blown away, skidding pas the body of Yashagoro.

"Keep your eyes on me, kid!" The white masked man said to Kichiro as he appeared in front of him, tossing a punch. Kataki fired an arrow and the masked man moved his head, snatching the arrow from the air and jabbing the point down at Kichiro. The Uchiha watched as the arrow got to his shoulder then dissipated in the man's hand.

He could almost imagine the look of shock on his face.

Kichiro balled his fist, the chakra he had been focusing made visible as a burning blue fire. His mother had trained him intensely when his father had refused after he chose a medic-nin's path. She had taught him what the medical shinobi and healers were supposed. He was meant to serve as a support and not engage in direct conflict, healing the wounded as fast as he could and getting back. But Kichiro was not the average medic-nin and his mother had made sure of that. The taijutsu drills had been intense. He was forced to wear weights and fight his mother, punch rocks until his hands were bleeding or broken then heal himself. After four years, not only was he one of the best young healers in Konoha, he was one of the physically strongest people as well.

The white masked man was close now, stuck in a position where his body was open to attack. Without a second thought, Kichiro sent an uppercut in the man's sternum, causing his arm to ripple as he heard the crack of the man's bones directly after impact before the masked man was sent flying limply away into the air. The man's body cracked against the ground and Kichiro lowered his arm.

The hooded shinobi, his Sharingan shining from behind the mask he wore, barreled into Kichiro's chest. He barely made out the glint of the kunai in his hand as it swung down at him. Three of Kataki's arrows burrowed in the shinobi's chest and neck and he rolled away before rising to his feet again.

After a few moments, the arrows exploded where they had found their mark, covering the field in fire and smoke. Kichiro raised his hands to shield himself from the shrapnel. He paused when he saw the tattered pieces of the shinobi's hood and mask fall away in pieces, the Sharingan eyes appearing first followed by the face of Kichiro's brother, Takuma Uchiha.

Kichiro started at this figure, this person and looked him over. Takuma was older, as tall as Sosei, lean and muscled with long jet black hair tied in a ponytail with bangs that framed his face. He wore a black mock neck shirt underneath his burned hoodie with a bloody Uchiha symbol on the back of it. The only things that seemed unnatural about him were his gray, color bleached skin and the black sclera of the Sharingan in his eyes. Were they transplants given to him by Yashagoro in return for his loyalty?

"Takuma," Kichiro said softly. He saw his brother's eyes go from person to person, analyzing the field the way Takuma always had. There had to be a way to release him now, though Yashagoro was dead. Unless, Takuma was doing this of his own volition. Would he forsake the love he had for his fatality and village in exchange for sight?

Kichiro watched him spit out a Grand Fireball at him and he quickly pressed his hands to the ground and infused chakra into it.

" _Doton: Doryūheki_!" Kichiro yelled as the earth wall formed just in time to block the fireball, the sparks and embers flying above his head. He took a moment to breathe then looked up as he saw his wall get breached.

Takuma crashed down faster then Kichiro could move out of the way and the substitution log he left his place was split in half by his brother's kick. As Kichiro rolled away, he saw Shōgo and Mirai come from his flanks.

The chakra blades hummed in the air as the whiffed harmlessly over Takuma's head and he kicked Mirai squarely in her chest. Shōgo attempted to draw kunai from his pouch but Takuma grabbed him by the wrist, raised his arm and punched him twice in the ribs before sending him flying with straight jab to the throat. Setsuka flipped over Shōgo using his body as a cover as she came from above with her greatsword. Takuma sidestepped Setsuka's downswing and kicked her sword to the side before he stared briefly into her eyes, trapping her in a genjutsu. He picked her sword up and prepared to slice her in half.

Then Sosei darted past, grabbing Setsuka before Takuma had finished swinging the sword. Kichiro rushed over to them and performed the tiger seal, releasing the jutsu as Sosei stood and looked across towards Takuma. His face was a grim mask, even as Setsuka sat up and the rest of the squad came together.

"Where's the woman and that masked man?" Kichiro asked. Sosei tilted his head slightly to the left, never letting his eyes leave Takuma. Kichiro saw two towers of black flames engulfing the bodies of the aforementioned and he looked up to see dried blood coming from Sosei's eyes. "Sosei…"

"I'm fine," he said quietly although Kichiro knew that he wasn't and would never admit it. While Kichiro had been fighting his own battle, Sosei had clearly been busy using both of his eyes to their fullest, burning bodies and slowing time. Not beside the fact that he was clearly still hurting despite having his wounds healed. The chakra binds were coming loose and without rest and food, there was no way he would heal fully.

The entire team looked haggard. Mirai was limping and coughing, either from the kick she received from Takuma or from attacks earlier. Shōgo had a fresh wound on his cheek with a bloody spot on his shirt. Setsuka could barely stand and Honami's beauty had been tarnished by dirt, blood and sweat though her perfect near-colorless eyes were locked on the face of her former teammate and boyfriend, Takuma. Kichiro himself was feeling his legs shake, either from the shock of seeing his brother's face or simple tiredness. They still hadn't made it anywhere near Naruto's body. If they could unseal him, they could defeat Takuma and return home.

"Have you had any success hitting him?" Sosei asked.

"With my arrows," Kataki said. "But that was pure luck."

"He's probably been doing nothing but training the last five years," Setsuka said. Kichiro frowned

"He's been _dead_." Sosei nodded and narrowed his eyes.

"I'll fight him, alone." He turned and looked at them. "You all make it to Naruto and release that seal. It's our only chance."

"You'll need help," Mirai said and Sosei scowled at her.

"Then Kichiro will help me. This is a family matter." Though Kichiro initially objected, he nodded his head. It was a family matter. Perhaps they could talk to Takuma and get through to him. Or maybe, they could beat sense into him. Either way, it was their job alone.

As the rest of the team dispersed, Takuma's eyes trailed after them.

"Yo!" Sosei shouted, spreading his arms. "It's you and me, brother. The fight you always wanted." This caught Takuma's attention, it seemed and Kichiro felt his breath get stuck in his throat. "I need to see something," Sosei said to him.

"What?"

"If he's truly there," Sosei replied.

Without another word, he unsheathed the sword on his back and twirled it in his fingers then raced to Takuma. Takuma was across the field in an instant and met Sosei's sword with his own kunai. Their blades sang in off-notes as the metal clashed again and again, their feet moving elegantly as they dueled. Sosei's Mangekyo seemed to give him more clarity and perception, allowing him to avoid Takuma's quick slashes by the smallest of margins. Still, Takuma seemed not to even be trying.

Kichiro noticed when he did put effort in, blood flew into the air and Sosei disengaged. Persisting, Takuma presses him, mixing a blend of taijutsu and kenjutsu together to keep Sosei on his toes. Kichiro saw Sosei attempt to weave a handseal but Takuma slapped his hands apart and punched him in the chest where he left an opening.

 _Takuma's better than him_. Kichiro thought. Even if Sosei was tired, he was still one of the most crafty fighters Kichiro knew but Takuma was beating him at every turn. The two continued their taijutsu exchange with Sosei attempting to weave a hand seal only to be interrupted by Takuma. The last time Sosei attempted it, Takuma's fingers met his and forced him to weave several seals.

Breathing heavily, Sosei swung his sword at Takuma's neck and the younger locked his arm around Sosei's before squeezing and taking a breath. Kichiro's eyes widened as the fireball blasted into Sosei's face and the pair of them were wrapped in orange and red flames.

In the upheaval of smoke and dirt, he saw Sosei rolling away, his headband scorched but otherwise unharmed. He was panting and sweating though, barely able to himself on his hands and knees with the aid of his sword. The billow of smoke cleared with a sharp easterly wind and Kichiro saw Takuma standing.

His skin, gray and decayed, floated around his body like paper before resting on his cheeks, chest and arms. Kichiro heard Sosei gasp.

"No," he said softly. "He's a resurrected soul…" He turned to Kichiro. "It's the _Edo Tensei_." Kichiro had heard the name of the jutsu before. They taught in school that it was the jutsu used by the opposing side during the Fourth Shinobi World War to bolster their forces. And Sosei had done what their father had said was the worst thing to do in an attempt to counter the technique. He had killed Yashagoro.

Kichiro looked to where Yashagoro's body laid—had been laying.

He was gone.

Kichiro looked around and saw the figure of the man approaching behind the group as the attempting to release Naruto.

"Behind you!" Kichiro shouted as he ran over to them. Barely within earshot, he breathed a quick fireball. But he was too late to do anything. Takuma sliced through it with the knife and Kichiro could only watch as Yashagoro grabbed Setsuka by her arm and quickly froze her.

"A descendant of the Hozuki has no business facing a Yuki clan member." His hand raised to her neck and he squeezed. "You all crack when put under pressure." Setsuka's frozen figure began to splinter, her head breaking and falling apart first before the rest of her body crumbled to pieces. Mirai was the first to scream out in anger and anguish, coating her kunai in fiery blue chakra and rushing forward to attack Yashagoro.

The man raised an ice blade in his hand and sliced Mirai open from shoulder to navel and she fell to the ground, bleeding.

Kichiro had had enough. He took a step forward and quickly weaved hand seals. When it looked like Takuma was approaching him, he charged his foot with chakra and stomped on the ground, hard enough to crack it. Takuma briefly lost his footing, allowing Kichiro to finish his hand seals and take in a deep breath.

" _Katon: Karyūdan_!" he shouted, spewing a large stream of flame from his mouth. From the upheaved ground, a dragon's head formed in conjunction with his shout, and he continued, " _Doton: Doryūdan_!" The dragon spat mud balls at Yashagoro, which combined with Kichiro's barrage of fire produced an enormous fire that swallowed the Death-Breaker whole.

Kichiro saw Honami perform a Heavenly Spin, protecting everyone from the explosive barrage and simultaneously deflecting whatever backdraft there was back on Yashagoro. He turned quickly and saw Takuma rushing towards him. The two locked Sharingan and Kichiro deep into his brother's dead eyes, seeing no semblance of the person he had once known.

 _He's lost_ , Kichiro thought, forcing his brother to stop with an ocular genjutsu as he punched him fully in the face, taking his decayed head off. He turned and saw his squad mates, recovered from his jutsu. He looked to them, to Sosei and then to Naruto's sealed body. They had to leave. Kichiro created two shadow clones, and blew several fireballs as a smokescreen while one clone grabbed Naruto and the other Mirai then ran back toward him. Honami held the gap between the clones and Yashagoro while Sosei and Kataki provided covering fire.

After healing Mirai enough that her bleeding stopped, Shōgo grabbed Mirai from the clone and carried her beyond the tree line. Once they had cleared Naruto, everyone else followed. Kichiro's clone passed Naruto's body to Sosei and he dashed ahead. He was the fastest of them and the Hokage's safety was their top priority. Kichiro's clones disappeared and Kichiro moved next to Kataki.

Tears stream behind him as he moved quickly through the canopy. _He's weeping for Setsuka_ , Kichiro realized. Her death hadn't registered in his mind yet. It seemed as though he was living in a nightmare. Between Takuma's body being raised as an undead zombie puppet and him having the power to outwit and outfight Sosei handily, Kichiro hadn't had time to even consider that his childhood friend was dead. Murdered by Yashagoro's hands. And there wasn't even a body to memorialize.

"Kataki…" Kichiro said.

The boy didn't look at Kichiro, instead blankly staring forward. They cleared a few more trees, before he said, "I didn't even move to save her. I just stood there and watched. What the fuck is wrong with me?" His words were quiet, faint whispers. Kichiro's own heart began to ache and he felt the warmth of tears flowing down his cheek. He wanted to stop and hold Kataki in his arms, but they didn't have time or space. He was sure that Kataki felt alone, but he wasn't.

 _I'm here for you_ , Kichiro wanted to say. He held the words inside and then decided to say something else. "Kataki, I—"

An explosion shook the forest, knocking the trees from beneath Kichiro's feet. He fell quickly and landed hard. The breath left his body and he gasped loudly. He was frozen in place, trying to force his body to wriggle as a tree quickly fell towards him.

Kichiro heard the impact of the tree hitting the ground, but he didn't feel it. He imagined that maybe it had hurt him so badly that he couldn't feel anything at all. Until he opened his eyes and saw that the tree was next to him. And so was Kataki.

The tree trunk laid on top of Kataki's waist and he coughed up blood. Kichiro felt the feeling return to his body and he jumped to his feet.

"Kataki!" he shouted. He grabbed the tree and with all of his strength lifted it off of his friend and threw it to the side. Blood gushed from Kataki's mouth and he coughed up more. He was crying more now. Kichiro weaved hand seals and began using Kataki's blood to draw a square seal around his legs. He reached into his pouch and poured some of his mother's regenerative slum slime on Kataki's injury and began charging chakra to Kataki's legs and stomach.

"Shitchiro," Kataki coughed. Kichiro saw that he had a peaceful smile on his face.

 _He's in shock._ Kichiro poured more chakra into the seal. "Stay with me, you idiot! Don't you fucking die!"

"I couldn't let you die…" Kataki whispered. "I couldn't stand there again and do nothing."

"Shut up," Kichiro said, crying as he saw the bones begin to mend in Kataki's legs. He was fading though. The Healing Resuscitation jutsu was incredibly chakra-taxing and despite all of his control and training, Kichiro chakra reserves had been severely lessened by his battle. But even if he passed out or died, he had to save Kataki.

Kataki looked up at him and blinked. "Why are you doing this? You...look like you're going to die. Your chakra…"

Why? The answer was obvious. "I love you, Kataki. I...don't know if you feel the same but...I love you."

There was a long pause as the bones continued to mend and Kichiro began to fade. Kataki opened his mouth to say something, but Honami dropped down next to them. Her face was fallen, dark and hopeless. "Honami?" Kichiro asked.

Her voice was quivering and her body was shaking in despair. "Kumogakure was attacked. That's what that explosion was," she said. "And Konoha too."

Kichiro's mouth dropped. He had two thoughts…

 _Are Mom and Dad there?_

 _Who was Yashagoro to have done this?_


End file.
